GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Another Florida player is exploring his transfer options, Swamp247 can confirm.

A source has informed Swamp247 that backup center T.J. McCoy has entered the NCAA's transfer portal, giving schools permission to contact him about a potential transfer. McCoy played in just four games during the 2018 season for Florida.

McCoy was a redshirt junior for Florida in 2018 and will have one year of eligibility remaining.

After initially enrolling at N.C. State as a signee in the 2015 recruiting class, McCoy opted to transfer to Florida after participating in spring ball to be closer to his father, who was undergoing cancer treatments. He sat out the 2015 season at Florida before becoming a bigger part of the offense the following year.

In 2016 under head coach Jim McElwain, McCoy entered the season third on the depth chart. McCoy would be pressed into action late in the year following a series of injuries.

Starting center Cameron Dillard was injured against Arkansas in early November, hit with a knee injury that would sideline him for the season. Backup Tyler Jordan filled in for Dillard but was injured on the first play of the game the following week against South Carolina. His ankle injury gave McCoy his first chance at real action.

McCoy took full advantage.

He started the final four games of the season for Florida and helped anchor an offensive line that played better down the stretch. He was instrumental in a thrilling win over LSU on the final play of the game in Baton Rouge, a win that secured the SEC East division title for the Gators for the second consecutive year.

McCoy would hold onto the starting job for year, making nine starts in 2017 before suffering a season-ending injury against South Carolina in 2017.

When new coach Dan Mullen and his staff took over, though, McCoy found himself in a battle for the starting job. He ultimately lost that contest to fellow redshirt junior Nick Buchanan, who started 12 games for the Gators in 2018, missing only the Idaho contest due to a suspension.

Though Buchanan has not firmly locked down his job moving forward, McCoy was not believed to be in serious contention for the job next fall. His transfer will give him the opportunity to play elsewhere for his final season of eligibility.

McCoy was a recruit in the 2015 recruiting cycle. He was not highly sought after, signing with N.C. State over interest from USF, Navy, Rutgers and Florida Atlantic, among others.

He was rated as a three-star prospect by the 247Composite, an industry-generated recruiting ranking. He checked in as the No. 2,218 overall player in the country that year, as well as the No. 33 center in the country and the No. 241 overall player from the state of Florida.