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Florida football signed a pair of special teamers via the transfer portal on Tuesday, adding kicker Patrick Durkin and punter Alec Clark to the 2026 roster.
The former previously served as the Tulane Green Wave's starting placekicker for the 2025 campaign, along with five starts the year prior. The latter also served as the starting punter in New Orleans this past fall after transferring from the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles.
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The pair joined three other players who are heading to Gainesville via the sport's de facto free agency system on Tuesday, along with quarterback Aaron Philo, interior offensive lineman TJ Shanahan Jr. and running back Evan Pryor.
Kicker Patrick Durkin's background
Durkin arrives in the Swamp as a rising redshirt sophomore after making 27-of-32 field goal attempts — including four conversions from 50 or more yards — and 57-of-58 extra point attempts in his college career. He went 2-for-4 in his field goal attempts during his true freshman season while converting all 16 extra point chances.
His longest field goal made was a 52-yarder at home against the Charlotte 49ers on Nov. 29, 2025. He nailed a career-best five field goals at the Temple Owls the week prior.
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Originally from Plainfield, Illinois, the 5-foot-10-inch out of Joliet Catholic Academy was also the designated kickoff specialist, averaging 63.9 yards per attempt with 69 resulting in touchbacks.
Punter Alec Clark's background
Clark began his collegiate career with the Marshall Thundering Herd, starting in the Frisco Bowl during his true freshman season (2023) before serving as the team's starting punter in all 13 games the following fall. He booted the ball 55 times, averaging 42.4 yards per punt with a long of 67 yards, along with 17 punts inside the 20 and 11 punts of 50-plus yards.
He spent the spring semester at Southern Miss in 2025 before signing on with Tulane. Clark would go on to post a career high of 46.5 yards per attempt over his 48 punts in NOLA during the 2025 campaign, while also setting a career high with a 70-yard boot.
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Over the full course of his career, the native of Swan View, Australia, averaged 44.1 yards per attempt over 110 punts. stretching over the past two seasons, 34 of his 96 punts landed inside the 20-yard line, while 25 of his punts have been returned for an average of 11.3 yards; 12 of his punts resulted in touchbacks.
Clark arrives in Gainesville as a rising redshirt junior.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football signs Patrick Durkin, Alec Clark via transfer portal
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