Florida’s trip to Auburn brings back a matchup that used to feel much bigger on the calendar, but the roster on the other side has changed enough that plenty of Gator fans may need a quick refresher. The Tigers and Gators haven’t met since 2019, and this will be only the second time they’ve played since 2012.
The biggest name to circle is Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown, No. 17.
He’s the one most Florida fans are likely to recognize right away, and for good reason. Brown spent the past four years at USF before following Auburn coach Alex Golesh to Auburn.
He was also the Bulls’ starter in last year’s win over Florida in The Swamp.
Brown’s track record against Power Four opponents is worth keeping in mind, too. He has made seven career starts against Power Four competition, and in those games he has thrown five touchdowns and five interceptions. His 2024 start against Syracuse is the only one against a Power Four team in which he posted a PFF grade above 65.
Auburn’s receiving group also includes two more familiar names from Brown’s USF days. Keshaun Singleton, No. 11, was the receiver who turned Florida’s coverage bust into a 66-yard touchdown last year.
He followed that with an 881-yard season in 2025. Against Baylor, he was Brown’s top target, catching seven of nine targets for 89 yards, though he has also been charged with two drops this season.
Chas Nimrod, No. 5, is another USF transfer who has carved out a key role. He is Auburn’s second-leading receiver in 2026 with 10 catches for 93 yards, and 60 of those yards have come after the catch. Nimrod finished with 466 yards at USF last year, though he was limited to three catches for 24 yards against Florida.
There’s also an old Florida name back in the mix. Tight end Arlis Boardingham, No. 82, spent 2023 with the Gators and logged more than 400 snaps before his role shrank in 2024.
He transferred to Bowling Green for 2025 but never played a snap there before making his way back to the SEC this year. Boardingham’s blocking was part of the reason he fell out of favor with The Man in the Black Polo, and at Auburn he has been used as a rotational tight end so far.
On the defensive side, linebacker Elijah Melendez, No. 9, has been Auburn’s most noticeable player early. He has 18 tackles through two games and has stepped into a much larger role after seeing some snaps last year. Melendez was once a Miami commit and a former top-200 player in the class of 2025.
Cornerback Andre Jordan Jr., No. 22, is another player Florida should have on the radar. Auburn has leaned on him more than anyone else so far.
A low-tier three-star recruit out of high school, Jordan signed with Oregon State before spending last year at UCLA. He was solid in coverage in 2025, allowing a reception rate against of just 51%, but this season he has given up eight catches on 12 targets.
Safety Eric Winters, No. 5, is one of Auburn’s more important young defenders. A former top 100 overall prospect in the class of 2025, he earned a healthy number of snaps last year and is now locked in as the starting safety.
Winters made the game-saving tackle on Baylor’s two-point conversion attempt, and he was also the defender Lagway tried to hurdle earlier in the game before fumbling. Even with those two notable plays, Winters has also missed four tackles early this season.
The former four-star LSU commit has also become Auburn’s main source of quarterback pressure early in 2026. He leads all Auburn players with eight QB pressures through two games, though those pressures have only turned into one sack and nine total tackles.
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Floridas Resource Gap Just Became A Real SEC Concern
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Jon Sumrall and athletic director Scott Stricklin have both acknowledged that reality, stressing that elite coaching only goes so far without the resources to match it. The estimate folds in athletic department revenue, booster support and other funding sources, but not player endorsements, which makes it a useful snapshot of where Florida stands even if the full picture continues to shift. The broader concern is less about one years number than what it says about how hard the Gators will have to work to stay in the leagues top tier. [Read more 🡒]