Florida is pegged for the middle of the pack in the SEC’s 2026 preseason media forecast, landing ninth in the league’s 16-team field.
The Gators collected 1,217 points in the vote, which put them ahead of Missouri’s 1,105 but just behind Tennessee at 1,320. At the top, Georgia was the clear favorite to keep rolling, earning 2,519 points and being picked to win the SEC for a third straight year.
The conference’s new-coach group adds another layer to the projection, and Florida sits third among those six teams. Ole Miss is now led by Pete Golding, LSU by Lane Kiffin, Auburn by Alex Golesh, Kentucky by Will Stein and Arkansas by Ryan Silverfield.
Florida’s nine-game SEC slate also looks demanding on paper. The Gators are scheduled to face four teams projected to finish above them - Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Oklahoma - including the league’s top three teams. They’ll also line up against five teams picked behind them: Missouri, South Carolina, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
At SEC Media Day, first-year SEC head coach Jon Sumrall was asked about the league’s move to a nine-game schedule and Florida’s place in it.
"I wasn't in the room when those conversations were had. I wasn't in this league yet.
We're gonna play anybody, anywhere, anytime," he said. "Whoever they put on our schedule, we're gonna play.
I'm not gonna whine and complain about being an SEC head football coach."
Florida’s season begins Sept. 5 against FAU, and SEC play opens Sept. 19 at Auburn. That road trip will be the Gators’ first trip to face the Tigers since 2011.
In Other News...
Jon Sumrall Just Sent A Clear Message About Florida's Identity
Jon Sumrall made plenty of noise at SEC Football Media Days, and not just because of the usual summer talking points. The Florida coach came across as energetic and firm, even drawing attention for the way he handled a phone disruption during his session. More broadly, he used the platform to project the kind of edge and accountability he wants attached to the program, the sort of tone that can matter as much as any depth-chart battle in July.
He also stood apart from some of the grumbling around the league about the SECs new nine-game conference schedule. While other coaches focused on the strain and the postseason implications, Sumrall signaled a different posture, one built around accepting the challenge rather than looking for an escape hatch. It fit the image he was trying to sell in Atlanta, and it left the clearest question hanging: whether that no-excuses identity will become Floridas actual calling card once the games start. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Sumrall Just Confronted Florida's Biggest Roadblock To Elite Status
Jon Sumrall has barely settled into Gainesville, but the new Florida coach is already leaning into one of the programs biggest realities: restoring the Gators to elite status will take more than a fresh voice on the sideline. He has sought guidance from Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer as he tries to map out the next phase of the rebuild, while also making it clear to fans that their backing matters as much as anything happening inside the football offices.
The challenge is bigger than wins and losses. Florida is trying to rebuild its recruiting strength and overall competitive footing after years of falling short of its old standard, and Sumrall has been direct about the need for stronger support around the program. The Gators still have a fan base with deep history and expectations, but turning that into the kind of sustained edge Florida once had is the roadblock he has stepped into first. [Read more 🡒]
Baugh Brown III And Woods Put Floridas Young Core On Notice
Floridas young core is already drawing SEC attention before the season even starts, with Jadan Baugh, Vernell Brown III and Jayden Woods all landing on preseason All-SEC teams as voted on by media members at SEC Media Days. Baugh was recognized on the second team at running back and also made the third team as an all-purpose player, while Brown earned third-team honors as a return specialist and Woods was tabbed for the third team on the defensive line.
For a program trying to build around rising talent, the trios inclusion says plenty about how quickly Floridas next wave has moved from promising to proven. Baughs breakout as a runner has given the Gators a centerpiece in the backfield, Brown has already shown he can matter in the passing game and on special teams, and Woods made an immediate impact as a freshman off the edge. The bigger question now is how much more each of them can take on when the spotlight gets brighter and the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]