Updated Jan. 4, 2026, 6:00 p.m. ET

Former Baylor safety DJ Coleman is Florida‘s first transfer portal addition under Jon Sumrall. Coleman committed to the Gators on Sunday, Jan. 4.

The rising senior spent the last three seasons with the Bears, starting 12 of Baylor’s last 13 games and playing in 35 total contests. He finished the 2025 campaign with 46 total tackles (30 solo), 6.5 tackles for a loss, six pass deflections, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

He is designated as a three-star player in the portal, the ranking eighth at safety and the 98th overall this cycle, according to On3.

Pro Football Focus gave him a 70.1 overall defensive grade this season. He also received a 71.0 grade or higher in coverage (71.2), pass rushing (71.8) and tackling (71.7), with the latter ranking inside the top 10 among Big 12 safeties in 2025.

Coleman made an official visit to Florida on Jan. 3 amid interest from several Power Four schools, including Arkansas, Florida State, Missouri and South Carolina.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

“The program is going to be run like an NFL team,” Coleman said, according to Gators Online. “Me looking to play in the NFL, I want to be prepared for the NFL when I get there. That’s probably the biggest thing.”

The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound safety signed with Baylor as a three-star recruit, ranked No. 49 among safeties in the 2023 class. He played in 11 games as a true freshman, finishing the year as a top-10 freshman safety in the Power Five, according to PFF.

Coleman continued to be a key figure in Baylor’s secondary in 2024, playing in 12 games and starting the bowl game against LSU, when he posted his highest defensive grade (75.2) of his career to that point. Over three seasons with the Bears, Coleman has played more than 1,000 defensive snaps.

Florida’s safety situation after adding DJ Coleman

Coleman adds a veteran presence to Florida’s safeties room and is likely to start alongside Bryce Thornton on the third level of the Gators’ defense. There is potential for him to play some nickel back, but Coleman is expected to take over the boundary-side (strong) safety position following Jordan Castell’s departure. Here’s how the two compared in 2025, according to PFF.

PlayerOverallRun DefenseTacklingPass RushCoverageDJ Coleman70.164.571.771.871.2Jordan Castell56.871.574.174.148.5

Florida returns sophomore Lagonza Hayward and Drake Stubbs as well. Freshmen Kaiden Hall and Dylan Purter are also on the roster.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.