Florida Gators Football: Ja’Juan Story transferring

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Ja’Juan Story has announced his desire to transfer from the Florida Gators program in a press release this morning. A four-star recruit back in the 2011 class, Story was a four-star recruit and was clearly one of the top 200 recruits in that class. A top 50 in-state commit from Brooksville, Story ran a 4.4 forty and was known for his terrific raw ability.

July 18, 2012; Hoover, AL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp speaks during a press conference at the 2012 SEC media days event at the Wynfrey Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-US PRESSWIRE

Story’s decision to transfer from the university isn’t a surprising one, because he was stuffed at the bottom of the depth chart at UF and would have received extremely little playing time as a redshirt freshman. Story is looking for playing time, and it will be interesting to see where he goes; there is no early indication at this point.

Ja’Juan Story was an Urban Meyer recruit from the 2011 class, but he did not site the program or the coaches as being a reason for transferring; he called both the program and coaches “great” in a statement. However, he said that Florida “just wasn’t the right fit for me”.

As a recruit, the 6’3″, 190 pound wideout received many major offers from schools like Auburn, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Florida State, USF, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh.

Will Muschamp said in a statement that Story is looking for a “fresh start”, and he certainly has the talent. It should be noted that Story was recruited by Aubrey Hill to Florida, which could be a reason for his transfer. In fact, Story had reportedly been looking to transfer for some time, so the story comes as no surprise especially given how low he is listed on the depth chart. He was actually somewhere around last place with a couple of incoming freshmen above him, which is understandably frustrating for a former top 175 recruit. However, Story was always viewed as a “project player” at the wide receiver position, and the level of play so far this offseason hasn’t been as good as expected; he likely never would have had a significant role with the Gators.