Florida basketball: Forward EJ Jarvis commits to join Gators out of transfer portal from Yale

By OnlyGators.com Staff
March 31, 2023
Florida basketball: Forward EJ Jarvis commits to join Gators out of transfer portal from Yale
Basketball

Image Credit: Tim Casey/UAA

Florida Gators basketball will be remaking two-thirds of its roster this offseason following a string of graduations and departures, and head coach Todd Golden on Friday landed his first replacement — a quality one at that. Yale forward EJ Jarvis, one of Florida’s priority targets this offseason, committed to the Gators just a couple days after taking an official visit to UF.

“Excited to announce that I will be committing to the University of Florida!” he tweeted.

Jarvis (6-foot-8, 220 pounds), one of the top frontcourt players in the portal, has one season of eligibility remaining. He committed to Florida over a list of offers from California, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Miami, Northwestern, Notre Dame and VCU.

Starting 22 of 30 games for the Bulldogs last season, Jarvis averaged 11.3 points in 22.2 minutes per game, good enough for him to be Yale’s third-most proficient scorer. He also grabbed a team-high 5.5 rebounds and blocked 1.5 shots per contest, emerging as a defensive presence for the Ivy League power.

Not only is Jarvis a key addition for the Gators due to his overall talent, his size helps drastically improve Florida’s depth at a key position of need.

Golden has made the transfer portal a priority as he builds the roster over his first few seasons, focusing on experienced players rather than high school prospects. While that is a risky strategy, it is ahead of trend for the sport as many experts believe that is the way college basketball recruiting is heading in the near future.

The Gators now have seven of 13 scholarships still available as the program waits on a decision from standout freshman guard Riley Kugel, who may enter consideration for the 2023 NBA Draft this offseason. Whether Kugel decides to tests the waters or ultimately departs for the NBA remains to be seen.

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