UF football transfer tracker: Gators lose transfer backup QB…

Florida’s four-game winning streak, recruiting spike and potential for success with quarterback DJ Lagway has intensified the competition for a roster spot, much less a key role.

The Gators appeared to address two areas of need with veteran safety Adrian Maddox from UAB and Charlotte quarterback Deshawn Purdie, who appeared in nine games as a true freshman.

Instead, two days after On3.com reported Maddox was Gainesville-bound, he changed his mind Jan. 7 and opted for rival Georgia, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound native of Conyers, Ga., originally spurned the Bulldogs for the Gators.

Then on Monday, Purdie was released from his commitment to UF, per On3.com. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Purdie is a former 3-star prospect out of Maryland’s Milford Mill Academy who threw for 1,802 yards, completing 50% of his throws (100 of 200) for 10 touchdowns with 6 interceptions while also rushing for a score in 2024.

The decision leaves UF without a viable backup quarterback and just three incoming transfers — UMass redshirt sophomore edge rusher Kofi Asare, Michigan punter Tommy Doman Jr. and UCLA transfer wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant. Meanwhile, 13 scholarship players have entered the portal.

Even though the transfer portal closed Dec. 28, options should remain.

Players yet to sign remain available. Players with the two remaining teams in the College Football Playoff — Notre Dame and Ohio State — will have a five-day window to transfer once the Jan. 20 national-title game ends. Semifinal losers Penn State and Texas had the same option.

Maddox’s commitment was the first since a busy stretch before the Christmas holiday including commitments from Asare, Purdie and Sturdivant on the eve of the Gators’ 33-8 win against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl Dec. 20 in Tampa.