Former Florida Gators cornerback Elijah Blades transferring to Buffalo

Former Florida Gators cornerback Elijah Blades will transfer to Buffalo, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. Blades will play for head coach Maurice “Mo” Linquist, who was his position coach at Texas A&M.

Blades was one of the most highly touted cornerback prospects of the 2017 class. A one-time Florida commit, Blades ended up signing with Nebraska out of high school. He was unable to qualify and instead enrolled at Arizona Western Community College.

Blades signed with Texas A&M after two years of JUCO.

The Pasadena native played one season (2019) with the Aggies. He recorded 19 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and three pass deflections in seven games. It seemed he had an opportunity to start at cornerback in College Station in 2020 but opted out due to COVID-19.

Blades decided to enter the transfer portal in June 2021 and ultimately landed at Florida.

This season, he appeared in three games for the Gators and recorded three tackles and a pass deflection.

Blades was dismissed from Gators in 2021

Blades was dismissed from the Florida Gators football program by then head coach Dan Mullen in October. Mullen never revealed the reason but he made it clear that Blades was no longer a part of the team.

He then entered his name in the transfer portal on October 11 just to remove his name from the transfer portal a little over a month later.

There was speculation that Blades might return to the team, but Mullen was quick to shut down the idea of a return.

Blades entered his name in the transfer portal yet again on December 6, and now he’s headed to Buffalo.

The Bulls had a 4-8 season in Linquist’s first season as head coach, and will certainly play a role in turning the program around in what will likely be his final season of eligibility as he’s headed into his sixth season of college football.