When Billy Napier landed a trio of high-upside receivers in the 2023 recruiting class-Eugene Wilson, Aidan Mizell, and Andy Jean-it looked like Florida had the foundation for an explosive pass-catching core. The group had speed, pedigree, and promise. But fast forward to the end of the 2025 season, and only one of the three remains in Gainesville.
On Tuesday, Aidan Mizell officially announced he’s entering the transfer portal, marking the second departure from that once-promising trio. Andy Jean transferred out last season, and now Mizell is on his way out as well, leaving Wilson as the last man standing.
For Mizell, this move ends a chapter that began with high expectations. A legacy Gator-his parents, Ebony and Will, were standout athletes for Florida’s track and field program in the 1990s-Mizell brought elite speed and a track background that made him one of the more intriguing offensive weapons in Florida’s 2023 class.
Coming out of high school, he had the kind of burst and straight-line acceleration that made you sit up in your seat. He wasn’t just fast-he was Florida fast.
And to his credit, there were moments when that speed translated. In 2024, he made a statement with a touchdown against Samford and followed it with a go-ahead score in the rivalry game against Georgia-arguably his best collegiate performance.
There was also a catch-and-run touchdown against Mississippi State that showcased exactly what made him such a tantalizing prospect-except it got called back. Still, the play itself was a reminder of what Mizell was capable of when everything clicked.
But those flashes never quite turned into sustained production.
Despite working with the first-team wideouts during spring practices, Mizell’s role started to shrink as the 2024 season wore on. He lost snaps to Marcus Burke, who would later transfer to UCF, and by the time 2025 rolled around, it became clear that younger receivers like Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III were starting to leapfrog him on the depth chart. The writing was on the wall.
Mizell came into 2025 with something to prove. Before the season, he made it known: “If you're still sleeping on me, that's on y’all.”
But the breakout never came. Injuries slowed him down, and even when he was on the field late in the season-logging over 50 snaps against both Ole Miss and Florida State-he couldn’t crack 50 receiving yards in either game.
In fact, he leaves Gainesville having only topped 50 yards in a game once in his college career, and that came last year against Georgia.
It’s a tough ending for a player who came in with so much potential, but Mizell still has two years of eligibility remaining and a skill set that should draw plenty of interest in the portal. Speed like his doesn’t go unnoticed for long. The question now is whether a fresh start will unlock the consistency he couldn’t quite find at Florida.
As for the Gators, they’ll move forward with Wilson still in the fold and a new wave of young talent on the rise. But the departure of Mizell marks the end of what once looked like a cornerstone group.