When reports surfaced back in late May that Daniel Imatorbhebhe would be transferring from Florida, the speculation immediately centered on a move to the West Coast.
Now, nearly a month later, the player himself has confirmed as much.
Speaking to Rivals.com‘s USC website, Imatorbhebhe announced that he has indeed decided to transfer into the Trojans football program. The tight end will not be eligible to play in 2015, but will have four years of eligibility to use moving forward.
The recruiting website adds that “Imatorbhebhe will technically be a blueshirt and will count toward the Trojans’ 2016 class.”
“This is where I always wanted to be and I got the opportunity, so I’m excited to do it,” Imatorbhebhe said. “The opportunity just presented itself and I jumped all over it as soon as I could.”
USC wasn’t actually where Imatorbhebhe always wanted to be as he signed with Florida in February of this year. Not only that, but he was an early enrollee who participated in the Gators’ spring practice a couple of months ago.
However, he opted last month to leave Gainesville for what he’s now describing as “personal reasons.”
“It was just personal reasons,” he said. “It was a family decision, trying to keep the family together and there was some sacrifices to be made.”
Imatorbhebhe’s brother, four-star wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe, was interested in UF before committing to USC. Coincidentally or not, that verbal commitment came a week before the reports surfaced that his brother was transferring out of Florida.
This Imatorbhebhe was a three-star member of UF’s most recent recruiting class, rated as the No. 18 tight end in the country and the No. 26 player at any position at any position in the state of Georgia.
(Photo credit: Rivals.com)