Florida Football: Gators Add Much-Needed Depth from Transfer OT Mason Halter

Florida's shaky offensive line situation is now a little more stable thanks to a star from the FCS ranks.

Offensive tackle Mason Halter announced Tuesday afternoon on his Instagram page he is transferring to Florida for his final year of eligibility. The 6'8", 297-pound tackle was a three-year starter and two-time All-American at Fordham.

Halter thanked Fordham in the caption to his post and said he would leave for Gainesville later this month:

"

On the 23rd of June I'll be heading down to the University of Florida to start my masters degree and fulfill my last year of eligibility playing as a Gator! Can't thank the Fordham coaching staff and all my teammates over the year for molding me into the player I am today! Can't wait to get down to Florida and start grinding with the team #GoGators 🐊🐊🐊

"

Since he graduated from Fordham last month, Halter will be eligible immediately for the Gators.

According to the Virginian-Pilot's Harry Minium, Halter signed nonbinding scholarship papers at Old Dominion earlier this spring but turned the Monarchs down for a chance to play in the SEC.

"I think the coaches at ODU were a little upset, and I don't blame them," Halter said, per Minium. "I signed an agreement and went back on my word a bit. But this was a great opportunity. I could not turn it down."

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Halter's decision to become a Gator couldn't have come at a better time for new head coach Jim McElwain and his program.

Four of Florida's main starters on the offensive line from 2014 left school this offseason either through graduation or early entrance into the NFL draft.

The Gators only had eight scholarship offensive linemen on their roster this spring—with two of them having to sit out due to injury—and only three have seen any significant playing time at Florida.

According to Phil Steele, Florida has the third-fewest career starts out of any offensive line in college football. All 10 of their returning starts come from senior guard Trip Thurman, who was one of the linemen who could not participate in contact drills this spring.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Halter started 34 games for Fordham at left tackle, and he has the opportunity to compete for a starting job at Florida, who lost tackle Roderick Johnson this spring after a serious spinal condition caused his early retirement.

He joins a group of six incoming offensive linemen from Florida's 2015 recruiting class. The star of that haul, 5-star Martez Ivey, was the No. 2 overall player in the country.

The Gators will almost double their offensive linemen this summer with the incoming class, but none of them have played a single snap of college ball.

While Halter will have a big step of his own from the Patriot League to the SEC, he brings a veteran presence to a young offensive line. His experience will be extremely valuable for McElwain and his staff this fall as they enter a huge transition season.

Halter's addition looks like a major win for the future of an offense looking to turn things around and contend for titles once again. He could be the next player to keep his high level of play going from the FCS into the FBS level.

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.