Jon Horford to transfer to Florida from Michigan, Jeff Goodman reports

Billy Donovan has reeled in one of the best plug-and-play players of the 2014 transfer cycle, with former Michigan forward Jon Horford deciding to transfer to Florida, per Jeff Goodman of ESPN.

Horford, whose brother Al starred for the Gators from 2005 to 2007, was a four-year player at Michigan, but redshirted in 2011-12 after suffering a stress fracture in his right foot, and thus has a year of eligibility remaining. Horford saw his minutes decline late in 2013-14, as Jordan Morgan emerged and Michigan shifted to a four-guard lineup. He will graduate from Michigan this spring, and will be immediately eligible this fall as a graduate transfer.

At Florida, he'll likely be in a more solid role as a frontcourt player, and could see his minutes jump from the 13.8 per game he averaged as a junior at Michigan to something above 20, especially if on-again, off-again Gator Damontre Harris remains in limbo. Horford could form a formidable rebounding team with rising sophomore Chris Walker, given that both players stand 6'10" and have long arms that work well for cleaning the glass.

But as we wrote about at length last week, expecting the younger Horford to approximate his brother's performance is a fool's trap. With just one year in Donovan's system, Jon Horford is more likely to be a valuable reserve or a souped-up version of Will Yeguete for the Gators than his brother, a three-year player who had to evolve into Florida's go-to offensive option over time.

In any case, it's exciting to have another family member of a beloved Gator on the 2014-15 roster — Horford the Younger joins Duke transfer Alex Murphy, younger brother of Florida sharpshooter Erik, on the depth chart — and Horford adds more depth to a team that could be one of the deepest Donovan has ever had.