Florida’s starting second baseman Cade Kurland entered the transfer portal on Friday, according to Jacob Rudner of Baseball America.
Kurland has been the everyday second baseman for the Gators for the past four years, but many of those seasons have been limited by injuries. Because of those injuries, the NCAA granted Kurland a medical redshirt, allowing him an extra year of eligibility.
However, Kurland expressed a desire to turn pro in Florida’s post-game press conference following the Gainesville Regional final. This could be a leverage play by him for the draft, but Florida can’t hold his spot in the meantime.
Kurland burst onto the scene as a true freshman, playing in 68 of Florida’s 71 games. He slashed .291/.404/.555 with 17 home runs (position record), 17 doubles and 50 RBI. Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball and Perfect Game named him a Freshman All-American.
He played through a right-hand injury in 2025, which dropped his numbers to .245/.346/.457 despite still hitting 14 home runs and eight doubles. Kurland’s third year was a wash after undergoing season-ending surgery to his shoulder just 14 games in. He slashed .316/.490/.605 across 38 at-bats.
The injury bug bit again in 2026. Kurland missed a good chunk of the non-conference schedule with an oblique issue. He slashed .279/.384/.469 with nine home runs, thanks to a late-season power surge.
Other Florida Gators in the transfer portal
Florida has already seen five arms depart for the transfer portal. McCall Biemiller, Matthew Jenkins and Cooper Moss announced on Monday, the first day the portal opened, and Christian Rodriguez followed on Thursday. Cooper Walls hit the transfer portal on Friday.
Infielder Kolt Myers and outfielder Blake Brookins are the two position players to enter the transfer portal so far.
Florida earned its first transfer commitment from former FGCU catcher Jon Embury, the 2026 ASUN Player of the Year, on Thursday.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida’s starting 2B Cade Kurland heading to transfer portal
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By David Rosenberg, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
