Gators’ Cameron Dillard to graduate transfer from Florida

Florida redshirt junior Cameron Dillard will graduate from the school in the spring and transfer away for his final year of eligibility, he announced on Twitter late Tuesday.

Dillard entered 2016 as Florida’s starting center, and one of its most experienced offensive linemen, and started the first eight games of the 2016 season. But he suffered a knee injury in Florida’s loss at Arkansas, and was replaced by Tyler Jordan and then T.J. McCoy as the Gators’ starting center in the waning weeks of the season.

McCoy thrived in that role, notably excelling in Florida’s road win over LSU, and is likely to enter the 2017 season as the Gators’ starter at the position, while Jordan should move back to right guard. And Florida recruited center Brett Heggie in its 2016 recruiting class, then redshirted him this fall.

The writing on the wall is clearly legible: Dillard’s chances of seeing the field for Florida except as a reserve have dwindled.

Dillard has been a model citizen as a Gator, and his marriage to a fellow Florida student from Michigan and adoption of a newbord son garnered headlines in 2016, as did his good humor about a Twitter joke that he looked like a Chick-fil-A manager. (Sometimes, it is best not to explain Twitter jokes.) He’s easy to root for, and his next program will be getting a player who will add experience to its offensive line.

We wish Dillard and his family best of luck in his post-Florida career.