While Elijah Blades didn't end up with the Gators for the first time around, the grad-transfer defensive back says the University of Florida will be the school where he wraps up his collegiate career.
Blades, a former Gators commit in the 2017 class who signed with Nebraska before then heading off to JUCO, has announced another pledge to the Gators after returning to Gainesville for an official visit in late June.
The Texas A&M transfer entered the transfer portal on June 10, garnering interest from Florida, Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, Kansas, Texas and UCF among others.
Prior to signing with Texas A&M, the California native was labeled as a four-star prospect and the No. 3 player overall in the 2019 junior-college rankings. The Gators inquired about the defensive back's services at that time as well, so the third time's a charm for Blades and the SEC East program.
A former Rivals100 prospect, Blades started six games for the Aggies during the 2019 season, finishing with 19 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and three pass breakups. He then opted out of the 2020 season and announced for the NFL Draft before deciding to return for the spring semester. He battled a shoulder injury last fall, so that played a role in his decision to sit out a season ago.
Blades, however, isn't the only transfer Dan Mullen's staff has reeled in. In fact, the Gators have been one of the more active programs in terms of reeling in proven talent from the portal.
Wide receiver Justin Shorter has played a key role since transferring in from Penn State; Brenton Cox, another former five-star prospect, is entering season No. 2 with the Gators and expected to be drafted next spring, while the likes of Demarkcus Bowman (Clemson), Lorenzo Lingard (Miami), Jordan Pouncey (Texas), Antonio Shelton (Penn State) and Daquan Newkirk (Auburn) are on the roster as well. Then you have Missouri defensive back transfer, Jadarrius Perkins, a former JUCO All-American.
Below is what Rivals' Mike Farrell had to say shortly after the rangy defensive back entered the transfer portal.
"Blades should be a hot commodity as a long corner out of the portal because that's a position that gets a ton of interest. As a west coast kid, I expect more Pac-12 schools to get involved because he has that upside but it's been a long time since he was a high school player with not a ton to show of it. This is the second school he hasn't panned out at so his value is reduced."
Stay tuned to Gators Territory.
