Florida Gators parting ways with safety Gregory Smith III

GAINESVILLE, Fla. —The Florida Gators and safety Gregory Smith III are parting ways, Gators Online has learned. Last week, Smith revealed he planned to enter the transfer portal. The Gators worked to keep him on the roster but Smith did not meet a 4 p.m. Thursday deadline to sign his contract, per sources.

The 6-foot-3.25, 211-pound Smith played in five games last year, recording five tackles (three solo) and a pass breakup. He saw action in the Gasparilla Bowl and only made four appearances during the regular season, preserving his redshirt.

With Bryce Thornton limited in practice, Smith was working as the starting strong safety this spring.

“I’ve actually seen a lot of growth from Greg, especially not playing as much in his freshman year as he probably wanted to. But this year, he’s taken a step,” Thornton said. “He’s out there making calls for everybody. So I’m really proud of him for what he’s done and showed the maturity to be a better player.”

Smith was an On300 recruit in the 2024 class and the nation’s No. 18 safety and No. 261 overall recruit in the On3 Industry rankings. The four-star prospect committed to the Gators over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, among others.

He got Florida’s attention in high school after a productive senior season. Smith also played quarterback at Sumner, but the Gators fell in love with his athleticism and believed he could be a standout at defensive back.

UF general manager Jacob LaFrance once called Smith the most underrated player in Florida’s 2024 class.

“Greg Smith is a guy who’s been in his first year playing DB. He was a quarterback most of his career. And when you put the whole evaluation together, you talk about the verified height, the length, the guy’s 6-foot-3, he’s crazy long. And then you throw in the 47′ 11.25” triple jump, No. 2 in the state of Florida, which is exceptional. When you piece all that together, quarterback background, the athletic ability and traits to go along with the film for only playing safety for one year at a position where we were looking to add players, we are really excited about what he can be. Somebody that has huge upside and definitely an undervalued player. But you get some of that with Florida’s DBs, that raw athlete. We’re not afraid of that. … Greg’s a perfect example of everything that we look for in a DB. From quarterback background, plays offense, plays defense, has verified track numbers, intelligent, tough. All that stuff is what we look for from a defensive back standpoint.”