The reasons behind Lorenzo Lingard transfer from Miami football to Florida

Running back Lorenzo Lingard was a five-star signee with the Miami football program in 2018. Lingard’s transfer to Florida during the offseason came with a lot of speculation about what the cause was of his move to Gainesville.

Running back Lorenzo Lingard was the first five-star signee with the Miami football program since defensive end Chad Thomas in 2014. Lingard ran for 136 yards on 17 carries as a true freshman in 2018 before a knee injury suffered in practice sidelined him after six games. That injury carried over to the 2019 season.

There has been a lot of misinformation on social media why Lingard chose to transfer to Florida. Playing primarily behind junior DeeJay Dallas and sophomore Cam’Ron Harris, Lingard did not receive a carry in 2019. Lingard played on special teams in the losses to Virginia Tech and Duke last season.

Lingard was recently named by Rivals.Com as the third-best transfer RB in the 2020 cycle. Via Twitter on Friday, Lingard announced on his birthday that the waiver from the NCAA was granted giving him immediate eligibility with Florida commencing with the 2020 football season. The plan at Miami was for Lingard to redshirt in 2019.

It appears there were a few reasons for Lingard’s decision to transfer to Florida. Head coach Manny Diaz was quoted on Gators Territory stating about Lingard last season “he’s not right and he knows that.” Gator Territory was told by Lingard that his father suffered a heart attack and was on kidney dialysis.

It appears that between losing playing time to a healthy Harris, Miami signing four-star RBs Don Chaney Jr. and Jaylan Knighton, the ability to be closer to his father and how much Lingard “wants it” according to Rivals in their analysis below that his transfer to Florida was best for the Miami football team and the star RB.

"3. Lorenzo Lingard — Miami to FloridaAs a recruit: After his junior season, Lingard committed to Miami over a number of other options, including Florida State, Florida, Georgia, Clemson and Auburn.At Miami: As a freshman, Lingard played in six games and had 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in October. He played in just two games as a sophomore in 2018 and didn’t accumulate any statistics. Following the season he elected to transfer and quickly landed up the road in Gainesville.Farrell’s Take: Lingard was a five-star for many reasons but mainly for his size, balance, body lean and burst. He had all the tools to be a great one in college and physical skill should not hold him back. It appears to be more about how much he wants it.Florida is a great fit for him as it has been looking for an elite feature back for years.Impact Rating: 8.1 out of 10"

Lingard might become a star at Florida. The RB room at Miami is set for the next four years. The Hurricanes will have Harris for two more seasons if he doesn’t elect to leave for the 2021 NFL Draft. Chaney and Knighton are in Coral Gables for at least the next three and Miami has four-star RB Thad Franklin committed for 2021.

There have been some suggestions that Lingard was not used right by Miami, that transfers, in general, are quitters or other conspiracy theories why Lingard decided to move on. In the case of Lorenzo Lingard, it was a variety of factors influencing his decision. Lingard also stated he can go to doctor’s appointments with his father now.