Florida has put its first depth chart on the board, and while the Gators aren’t locked into it, the initial look does give a pretty clear sense of where things stand entering Saturday’s opener against FAU.
Jon Sumrall said Monday that the chart wasn’t meant to be a mystery. “Everybody on our depth chart, wherever they are, they know why. There's no, like, surprises.”
A few spots jumped out right away.
The first is at wide receiver, where Kahleil Jackson is listed as the seventh option. Florida’s top six are the names that have been driving most of the offseason conversation: Vernell Brown III, Dallas Wilson and Eric Singleton Jr. on the first unit, with Micah Mays, TJ Abrams and Bailey Stockton on the second.
Jackson’s placement is notable because he’s attached to an “Or” with Mays, and he’s not a player who has gotten much attention this offseason. Jackson had a solid 2023 before his ACL tear in the opener against Miami.
Then he needed knee surgery again right before the 2025 season, which eventually led to a medical hardship for a seventh season. Even with that history, he’s listed ahead of a group of freshmen Florida brought in with the class of 2026.
At running back, Evan Pryor gets the early nod behind Jadan Baugh. Baugh is expected to carry the load, but Florida also has some faster pieces it can use to keep him fresh.
Pryor, the transfer from Cincinnati, is listed as RB2 ahead of Duke Clark. That could still shift quickly depending on who shows up over the first couple of weeks.
The end spot also looks very much unsettled. Kamran James is listed at the top, which stands out because most of the camp buzz has centered on former five-star LJ McCray.
James played more than 400 snaps last season and has 839 career snaps at Florida, but he hasn’t drawn nearly as many headlines heading into 2026. McCray is behind him with an “Or” designation, and transfer Emmanuel Oyebadejo is in the same mix.
In other words, this job is still wide open.
The secondary has its own question mark. Ben Hanks III is listed on one side, and Cormani McClain appears to have the edge on the other - but only provisionally.
McClain is paired with J’Vari Flowers in an “Or” spot, which suggests Florida still hasn’t settled the CB1 picture. McClain, the former five-star, has shown flashes without fully putting it all together, while Flowers arrived as a top-100 prospect out of Miami and logged 298 snaps last season with mixed results.
In Other News...
Florida Fans Got A Brutal NFL Cut-Day Reality Check
NFL cut-down day brought a rough reminder of how thin the margin can be for former Florida players trying to stick on a league roster. After preseason evaluations wrapped up, the status of 10 ex-Gators came into focus, and the results were mixed in a way that should feel familiar to anyone tracking the programs pipeline to Sundays. Stone Forsythe and J. Michael Sturdivant earned spots on their teams 53-man rosters, a welcome sign that Florida still has players carving out roles at the next level.
The rest of the picture was less encouraging, with Kyle Trask, Kaiir Elam, Dameon Pierce, Amari Burney, Trikweze Bridges and Tyreak Sapp among those released or waived. Zachary Carter and Graham Mertz landed on injured reserve with their teams, leaving their immediate status in a different kind of holding pattern. For Florida fans, it was the sort of end-of-August snapshot that mixes a little pride with a lot of unease, because the NFL is never shy about reminding former college stars how quickly things can change. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Fans Keep Getting The Same Frustrating Offseason Reality
The offseason in college sports keeps reminding Florida fans how quickly a roster can turn over, and how familiar faces can disappear before the next fall even arrives. The article frames that frustration through the Ship of Theseus idea, using it to explain how constant player movement and coaching changes make it harder for fans to feel like they are following the same team from one year to the next.
For Gators supporters, the challenge is not just learning new names, but adjusting to how transfer rules and coaching turnover have changed the very rhythm of fandom. What used to be a slower, more stable connection to players now gets replaced by a cycle of introductions, departures and half-formed memories, leaving plenty of room for nostalgia and a lingering sense that the sport itself is always becoming something else. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas First Depth Chart Leaves Several Key Week 1 Battles Open
Floridas first depth chart for 2026 at least settles the biggest question heading into Week 1 against Florida Atlantic: junior Aaron Philo is the starter at quarterback. The release also gives an early look at the Gators starting offensive line and several other first-unit spots, offering the first public snapshot of how Billy Napiers team plans to line up when the season opens.
Even so, plenty of the roster remains unsettled, which is the more interesting part of the exercise this early in September. Florida listed ongoing competitions at defensive line, running back and offensive line, and it also used co-starters at the H tight end, defensive end and second outside cornerback positions, a sign that several jobs are still being sorted out even as the opener approaches. [Read more 🡒]