Coming off a five-win season that saw Florida’s offense hit rock-bottom (they hope), attrition on that side of the ball may not necessarily constitute bad news.
Head coach Will Muschamp confirmed Thursday that five players have decided to leave the football program: sophomore tight end Kent Taylor (no relation), redshirt freshman fullback Raheim Ledbetter, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Quinteze Williams, freshman offensive lineman Trayon Young and redshirt junior offensive lineman Ian Silberman (pictured). The first four will transfer and will (likely) have to sit out the 2014 season, while Silberman will graduate and be eligible to play immediately at a program of his choosing.
“These young men felt it was in their best interest to look for an opportunity to play somewhere else,’” Muschamp said in a statement. “We wish all of them the best of luck.”
Silberman was the only one of the five to see significant playing time, starting seven games the past two seasons. Taylor was a four-star member of the Gators’ 2012 recruiting class, rated as the No. 1 tight end in the country by Rivals.com.
The Gainesville Sun notes that, with these departures, five scholarships have opened up for UF, meaning the Gators can sign 21 players in February instead of 16.