Breaking: DB transfer set to join Gators after visit

Florida is working hard to build their secondary up through the transfer ranks

After entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on January 2, former South Alabama safety Yam Banks arrived at the University of Florida for an official visit that started on Thursday afternoon. He departed on Saturday morning from Gainesville, and enjoyed the couple of days he spent around the campus and staff.

Gators among two programs out front for transfer DB Yam Banks

“It was nice man,” Banks told Swamp247 of the trip. “It was real nice. They have a great environment, great coaches, and it was real good at Florida. I had a great time with them, and the vibe was very good. They made it feel like they need me, and wanted me. It felt like home you know? Just great vibes.”

New Florida secondary coach Will Harris has been the lead recruiter for Banks since he entered his name into the portal. Harris has been working to add some experience to the secondary via the transfer ranks, and targeted Banks quickly. Before he got time around Harris in-person, he did some homework on the new Florida staffer. Getting around him was a chance for Banks to get an even better opinion of Harris.

Gators add commitment from transfer S DJ Douglas

Florida has added their second transfer safety from the portal

Of the overall positions on the team, the Florida Gators have been most aggressive in the secondary in the NCAA Transfer Portal thus far. Several offers have been extended in the secondary, and several visitors have made their way to campus for official visits. One name in the secondary that was in town this week for an official visit was former Tulane safety DJ Douglas. He entered this weekend uncommitted as a portal target, but left his time in Gainesville as their latest commitment. He marks the Gators third commitment from the transfer portal in the last two days. He also marks the second commitment for the Gators at the safety position from the portal as well.

Tulane safety DJ Douglas makes push for starting role | Tulane | nola.com

“When I went to Florida, it just felt like home. My old d-line coach from Tulane is there now. So that added another plus. I had a few coaches on the staff that a couple of my trainers had close relationships with. Once I got to talk to Coach [Billy] Napier, Coach [Austin] Armstrong, Coach [Will] Harris, and Coach AB, everything started to feel like home. I started to feel comfortable, and my parents were telling me to go with what is in my heart. Being around them, Florida is what I felt was in my heart. I felt they could develop me and get to the next level. I felt like I could use them, they can use me, and we can all help each other. That was the best place for me.”

That connection to Douglas of Gerald Chatman was important here. He was on staff at Tulane before arriving at Florida last month. Having a familiar face around him was something that made the process of seeing a new place a lot more of a comfortable feeling when visiting Gainesville for the first time.

“It was a factor actually. Going to a new place, knowing you have someone there that is familiar, or in your corner, then things aren’t as unknown. I know him. I trust him, so it was a huge factor.”

New secondary coach Will Harris was also huge in this addition. They had been taking well before their time around each other on the official visit, but their time in-person really sealed the deal.

“He’s a younger guy, but he’s an old soul,” he said of Harris. “He’s really knowledgable. Just the aura that comes off of him. You can tell he means business and you can tell what he’s talking about. Not just from a standpoint of football, but even talking about life with him. You can just tell he knows a lot. He told me it’s not just about sports, it’s about everything. I feel like he can be a great mentor both on and off the field for me.”

Douglas also enters Florida at a safety position where they are predominantly young. So Harris went into the portal to help bring in some more bodies with a longer tenure of college experience to help mix in with their talented youth. While there is some youth there, Douglas knows he will still be a new guy to UF himself, and is open to learning anything from anyone he can.

“They are young in the back end, but I am just ready to go in there and get to work. I want to offer anyone anything I can to anyone. But also, even though I am older than them, I can learn from them too. There are guys there now that can teach me something. I am willing to learn from anyone. I am big on learning. I feel like you can learn from anyone. There are a thousand ways to skin a cat. I am just ready to come in and work, and get around the guys.”

Before transferring to Tulane ahead of the 2021 season, Douglas was a walk on at Alabama. Coming to Florida for his final year of eligibility allows him to reunite for his final ride in the SEC once again.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am. I have been in the SEC before, so it won’t be such a culture shock. The SEC, that’s that good football. I feel like it will help me going in coming from Tulane to Florida too. Playing at different places, won’t make Florida, and being somewhere new so foreign to me.”

247Sports currently does not have a transfer rating for Douglas. He was also unranked coming out of Alabaster (AL) Thompson high school in the class of 2019.