GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Once he clocked out for good at Tulane, as soon as he employed his inaugural UF teaching workers, and as soon as Jon Sumrall finalized his first Gators roster, he stepped as much as the microphone two months in the past for his first press convention of 2026.
The first-year Gators head coach had quite a bit to unpack, and he did not take lengthy to deal with a very powerful facet of his new job.
The gamers.
“Roughly half the crew is model new,” Sumrall stated.
— Jon Sumrall (@CoachJonSumrall) April 10, 2026
Change at all times accompanies a program in transition, and this 12 months’s Gators match the invoice, with Sumrall employed to switch Billy Napier. And gamers come and go like by no means earlier than within the NIL period of faculty soccer.
Still, Florida’s roster reconstruction in its first spring camp beneath Sumrall dominated the headlines and reshaped this system’s identification. As the Gators shut camp on Saturday afternoon with the annual Orange & Blue Spring Game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, newness stays the first theme.
Sumrall stated the Gators are nowhere close to a completed product – and even the crew he envisions when the Gators open the season Sept. 5 at house towards Florida Atlantic.
His deal with Saturday is on the Gators exhibiting followers that it is a crew dedicated to arduous work, enchancment and a ardour for the sport.
“I just want guys to play fast and physical,” he said. “We’re not going to be good. There might be some errors made. I would make one Saturday. We could put a nasty play-call in. But I need [the fans] to really feel that our guys take pleasure in taking part in the sport, and that they are going to play with an edge and a chip on their shoulder.”
Meanwhile, many of the players on Florida Field on Saturday will be making their debut in front of the home fans. Sumrall said he knows what veterans such as junior running back Jadan Baugh can do, so do not count on to see Baugh break Robert Gillespie’s spring-game document of 23 carries (Gillespie set the document in 1998).
Instead, a lot of the intrigue on this 12 months’s Orange & Blue Game facilities across the newcomers. Here are eight of the newbies price keeping track of Saturday:
QB AARON PHILO
Since the second Philo transferred from Georgia Tech to rejoin offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, many have assumed he might be Florida’s beginning quarterback. That could ultimately be the case, however all indications are that Philo has been in a good battle with returning redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. in camp. The largest benefit Philo has over Jones is his familiarity with Faulkner’s pro-style hybrid offense, and that could possibly be the separator this fall. However, Jones has a summer time to dive deeper into the playbook and sharpen his data of Faulkner’s offense. While Jones has performed in entrance of Gators followers, this might be their first have a look at the 6-foot-1, 208-pound Philo. He isn’t going to wow anybody together with his bodily attributes, however Philo carries himself with confidence and has confirmed he’s a competitor and a winner – Faulkner’s prime precedence in evaluating quarterbacks.
WR ERIC SINGLETON JR.
The switch from Auburn is one other newcomer who has a historical past in Faulkner’s offense. Singleton performed two seasons at Georgia Tech earlier than transferring to Auburn, the place he caught 58 passes final season. The 5-foot-10, 182-pound Singleton presents expertise and blazing velocity to a receivers corps that options returners Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson, the star of final 12 months’s spring recreation. If the trio stays wholesome, Florida’s offense has the potential to have one of the dynamic teams of beginning receivers within the nation. Singleton caught 104 passes for 1,468 yards and 9 touchdowns in his two seasons in Faulkner’s offense at Georgia Tech, and eased proper again into the offense this spring after a 12 months away.
OL TJ SHANAHAN JR.
The switch from Penn State obtained a shout-out from Sumrall after the primary scrimmage for his physicality, which is a trait Shanahan embraces. “I just like the physicality of football,” he said last season at Penn State. “I really feel like that is one thing I’ve at all times appeared ahead to. Practice, video games, I imply something.” Shanahan emerged as a starter for the Nittany Lions a season ago after transferring from Texas A&M. He followed Gators offensive line coach Phil Trautwein from Happy Valley and offers the Gators some much-needed nastiness alongside the offensive line. Shanahan’s older cousin is former Gators offensive lineman Jon Halapio, and his father and older brothers additionally performed in school. At 6-foot-4, 311 kilos, Shanahan supplies some beef on the inside line and arrived with 10 profession begins (5 final season at Penn State, 5 at Texas A&M in 2024).
RB EVAN PRYOR
He began his profession at Ohio State and, after three injury-plagued seasons, resurfaced at Cincinnati, the place he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards the previous two seasons. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Pryor is a downhill runner who has proven in camp that he doesn’t shrink back from contact. While Baugh is clearly RB1, Pryor has flashed sufficient in camp to point out he might be a dependable possibility when referred to as upon.
DL EMMANUEL OYEBADEJO
A switch from FCS Jacksonville State, Oyebadejo immediately gained notoriety this spring when images of him within the weight room have been posted on the crew’s social media accounts. A 6-foot-6, 303-pound native of Manchester, England, Oyebadejo passes the attention check. He is a bodily gifted athlete with the uncooked expertise to grow to be a difference-maker. Oyebadejo has needed to regulate to the upper degree of competitors, however he has held his personal and, with some refinement, could possibly be a sleeper for a breakout season.
DB KANYE CLARK
A switch from UCLA, Clark drew reward early in camp for his mix of quickness and willingness to play bodily. Those are vital traits on the STAR place in Florida’s protection, a hybrid place manned primarily by Sharif Denson a season in the past. Clark cracked the Bruins’ lineup final season and began two video games at nickel earlier than opting to enter the switch portal. He discovered a house with the Gators, and early returns counsel Clark can assist shore up a secondary that misplaced 5 gamers from final season’s crew.
S DJ COLEMAN
He transferred from Baylor, the place he rejoined former Bears teammates Brendan Bett, a defensive lineman who transferred to UF final season, and DK Kalu, a defensive lineman who joined the Gators this spring. The 6-foot, 209-pound Coleman is a extra bodily participant than Jordan Castell, a starter final season who transferred to Kentucky. Coleman registered 46 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss a season in the past at Baylor, and he supplies Florida’s revamped secondary with some much-needed toughness on the backend.
Ok PATRICK DURKIN
The Gators have had among the finest kickers in program historical past in latest seasons, a stretch that has included NFL skills Eddy Pineiro and Evan McPherson, and final 12 months’s kicker, Trey Smack, who ought to discover a house in an NFL camp someday this summer time. Durkin transferred from Tulane and has spectacular credentials. He made 25 of 28 subject targets a season in the past to earn American Athletic Conference Specialist of the Year honors. He has massive cleats to fill in Smack, however Durkin handed the check at Tulane after becoming a member of this system as a walk-on earlier than occurring scholarship.
