Florida football came close to cracking the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, but the Gators will open the 2026 season just outside the Top 25.
In the first season under coach Jon Sumrall, Florida landed second in the “others receiving votes” category with 147 points, trailing only Louisville. It was enough to show up on the national radar, but not enough to earn a spot in the actual rankings.
That’s a different place than Florida occupied a year ago. The Gators entered the 2025 season at No. 17 in the coaches poll before stumbling to a 4-8 finish, a collapse that cost Billy Napier his job and opened the door for Sumrall.
Florida’s roster still carries over several key pieces from last season’s team. Junior running back Jadan Baugh is back after producing 1,170 rushing yards, 185 receiving yards, 8 rushing touchdowns and 2 receiving touchdowns. The Gators also return sophomore edge rusher Jayden Woods, who had 3.5 sacks, junior linebacker Myles Graham, who posted 76 tackles and 7 tackles for loss, and sophomore receiver Vernell Brown III, who caught 40 passes for 512 yards and added 11.7 yards per punt return.
Sumrall has also brought in a group of transfers that could make an immediate impact. The additions include wide receivers Eric Singleton Jr. from Georgia Tech and Micah Mays Jr. from Wake Forest, quarterback Aaron Philo from Georgia Tech, safeties Cam Dooley from Kentucky and DJ Coleman from Baylor, and defensive lineman Emmanuel Oyebadejo from Jacksonville State.
The quarterback competition remains unresolved heading into fall camp. Philo, a redshirt sophomore, will battle returning redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. for the starting job, and Sumrall has not put a timeline on when he’ll make a decision. Both quarterbacks could play when Florida opens the season against Florida Atlantic at The Swamp at 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network.
At the top of the preseason poll, Ohio State claimed the No. 1 spot with 1,741 points and 38 first-place votes. Oregon checked in at No. 2, followed by Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame and Indiana.
The rest of the Top 25 included Miami (Fla.), Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas Tech, LSU, Southern California, Brigham Young, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Washington, SMU, Utah, Iowa, Clemson, Houston and Missouri.
Among the teams that dropped out from the previous rankings were Vanderbilt, Virginia, Tulane, James Madison, Navy, Georgia Tech and Illinois.
In Other News...
Which 2026 Swamp Games Are Actually Worth The Ticket Price
Floridas 2026 home schedule is now on the market, and the first thing fans will notice is how wide the pricing spread runs from one Swamp game to the next. Single-game tickets are available for all six home dates, while the cheapest season-ticket option starts at $728, making the face-value math an immediate part of the conversation for anyone trying to decide whether to buy in game by game or lock in a full package.
The bargain end begins with Campbell at $29, while Oklahoma sits at the top of the board at $194, a gap that tells you plenty about how the schedule is being framed before a snap is even played. In between, the real question for Gators fans is less about whether a ticket is affordable and more about which matchups justify paying up for the opponent, the stakes and the chance to see one of the seasons more meaningful Saturdays in person. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Preseason Roster Just Added Intrigue Before Fall Camp
Floridas finalized 2026 football roster arrived ahead of fall training camp with a few more moving parts than the one that came out of spring, as seven new players were added to the mix. The group includes two transfers in tight end Jaylen Jordon and cornerback Javier Jones, plus five freshmen who give the Gators a little more depth and variety on both sides of the ball: wide receiver Mason Jordan, defensive linemen Stive-Bentley Keumajou-Yondui and Jayden Gross, safety Eric Parks Jr. and long snapper Lincoln Anderson.
For a roster that is already being shaped by the offseason, the additions matter less as a headline than as a reminder of how much can still change before the first real practices begin. Several of these names were already known through their commitments and recruiting profiles, but the finalized list gives a clearer picture of who is officially in the building and ready to compete once camp opens, leaving the next question to how quickly the newcomers fit into the Gators plans. [Read more 🡒]