Gators Celebrate Fourth of July with New Portal Commitments

Florida continues to make moves in the transfer portal, with two new additions since the portal closed back on July 1. As everyone celebrated the United States’ 249th birthday on July 4, the Gators added catcher Cole Stanford and shortstop Sam Miller.

Stanford is a 6-foot 215-pound redshirt senior from Ellerslie, GA, who is transferring from Lenoir-Rhyne University, a Division II school out of Hickory, NC. In 58 games this season, he hit .393 with 18 doubles, 20 home runs, 56 RBIs, and only 27 strikeouts in 214 at-bats. Behind the plate, Stanford threw out 15 runners with a .984 fielding percentage. 

20 pic.twitter.com/Am9tCTbfXK

— Cole Stanford (@colestanford9) May 24, 2025

There is a clear direction for Florida as they sign their third catcher this offseason. Stanford will join AJ Malzone (Wabash Valley College) and Karson Bowen (TCU), who both committed in June.

It is worth noting that Luke Heyman, Brody Donay, and Bowen are all eligible for this month’s MLB Draft. The Gators could be planning for the future, as they expect to lose multiple catchers soon. 

Shortstop Colby Shelton is a player Florida knows will not be in Gainesville next season. The Gators are hopeful that Miller will make a smooth transition as Shelton’s replacement. Miller, a 6-foot, 205-pound incoming senior from McMurray, PA, is transferring from Columbia University, where he was named the 2025 Ivy League Player of the Year.

Former Columbia shortstop Sam Miller is transferring to Florida, according to a change to his bio. He’s coming off a huge 2025 season in which he batted .343 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs. Gators are losing Colby Shelton to the pros so this is a huge add. pic.twitter.com/SW01hqO5rX

— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) July 4, 2025

Miller had a season to remember, as he led Columbia in batting average (.338), OPS (1.013), hits (73), home runs (16), RBIs (57) and runs scored (50). In the NCAA tournament, he hit .214 with two doubles, a pair of RBIs, and a run scored. The offense is something any team would drool over, but Miller’s defense will need to improve heading into the 2026 campaign.

With a .937 fielding percentage, Miller led the team with 14 errors in 223 chances. To put things in perspective, Shelton committed eight total errors, in his two seasons combined at Florida. Fortunately, the former Lion heads to one of the top programs in the country–an ideal place to maximize potential as a ball player.