Florida is adding a notable tune-up to its preseason calendar, and it comes against a heavyweight.
The Gators will face Baylor on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Jacksonville’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida’s first preseason exhibition game since the 2021-22 season, according to an announcement from Intersport on Tuesday. Tip time and television details are still to come. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale Sept. 16, with a 24-hour presale set for the day before.
It also gives Florida a rare exhibition measuring stick. The game will be the Gators’ first preseason exhibition against a Division I opponent since a 2017 win at Jacksonville University.
That matchup is just one piece of a packed 2026-27 schedule that now has shape from opening night through the SEC tournament.
Florida starts the season on Nov. 2 in Tampa against Miami (Fl.), then returns home for its opener on Nov. 5 against Jacksonville University, a game first reported by Swamp247. The early stretch continues with a road trip to Florida State on Nov. 10 and a home date with Merrimack University on Nov. 13.
The Gators then head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, where they open against Notre Dame on Nov. 17.
Two more opponents are still to be determined for Nov. 18 and Nov. 19.
After that, Florida comes back to Gainesville for a Nov. 24 meeting with Milwaukee.
December brings some of the biggest dates on the slate. Florida will meet Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec. 1, then host Vermont on Dec.
- Neutral-site games follow, first against Georgia Tech in the Hall of Fame Series in Orlando on Dec. 12, then against Grand Canyon in the Jacksonville Hoops Showdown on Dec.
Non-conference play wraps with home games against Florida A&M on Dec. 21 and Long Island University on Dec. 29.
SEC play begins Jan. 2 with a trip to Austin, Texas, to face a Longhorns team that reached an impressive run in the NCAA Tournament. Texas recently added Marcus Spears Jr., the No. 6 overall prospect by 247Sports, who reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026.
Florida’s first league game in Gainesville comes three days later against Oklahoma on Jan. 5.
Vanderbilt visits on Jan. 9, before the Gators go to Mississippi State on either Jan. 12 or Jan. 13 and then to Alabama on Jan. 16.
The rest of January stays busy. Texas A&M comes to Gainesville on either Jan. 19 or Jan. 20, Florida travels to Georgia on Jan. 23 to face the Bulldogs led by former UF coach Mike White, and the month closes with a Jan. 30 trip to Tennessee.
February opens with South Carolina on either Feb. 2 or Feb. 3, followed by Texas’ first trip to Gainesville on Feb. 6. Florida then heads to Auburn on either Feb. 9 or Feb. 10, hosts Missouri on Feb. 13, and travels to LSU on either Feb. 16 or Feb. 17 to face newly rehired head coach Will Wade’s team.
The final stretch includes Georgia again on Feb. 20, Ole Miss at home on either Feb. 23 or Feb. 24, a trip to Arkansas on Feb. 27, and the last road SEC game at South Carolina on either March 2 or March 3.
Senior Day lands on March 6 against Kentucky, and the SEC tournament is set for March 10-14 in Nashville.
In Other News...
Jack Pyburn Suddenly Has A Decision Florida Fans Need To Watch
A Louisiana courts temporary relief for 16 players has created an unusual new wrinkle for Jack Pyburn, the former Florida and LSU pass rusher who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. The ruling could open the door for another college football season even after NFL contracts are already in place, provided the players return the compensation tied to that pro deal.
For Florida fans, Pyburns name now sits in the middle of a bigger conversation about eligibility, player movement and what happens when the college and pro paths collide so quickly. LSU has been mentioned in connection with his possible return, and the situation leaves a very real decision hanging over a player who only just took the next step in his football career. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Redshirt Freshmen Are Drawing Attention Fans Should Notice
Maxwell Footballs 2026 Shaun Alexander Freshmen Player of the Year Watch List offered an early glimpse at which young players could start turning promise into production, and Florida had two names on it. Wide receiver Dallas Wilson and cornerback Ben Hanks III both made the cut after flashing in limited action last season, a reminder that the Gators roster still has some intriguing upside brewing among its younger pieces.
Wilson gave Florida a spark as a pass catcher, finishing with 12 receptions for 174 yards and three touchdowns, while Hanks showed he could make his presence felt in the secondary with eight tackles, pass breakups and an interception. For a team that is always looking to build depth on both sides of the ball, having redshirt freshmen already drawing national attention is the kind of development the Gators will want to keep seeing as the offseason moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Got A Reminder Of What It Lost In The Backcourt
Gonzagas addition of Xaivian Lee offers a small window into what Florida was dealing with when it let him go, because the guard arrives in Spokane with the same kind of steady production that made him useful in Gainesville. Lee came to Florida after his time at Princeton and averaged 11.6 points and 4.2 assists last season, a blend of scoring and playmaking that would have fit naturally into a backcourt trying to replace a lot of lost production.
For Florida, the reminder is less about one departure than about the uncertainty around the whole rotation. Javon Bennett and Isiah Harwell are among the names in the mix, but the Gators still have pieces whose status hinges on court orders or NCAA clearance, which leaves the backcourt picture unsettled heading into the next stage of the offseason. Losing a player like Lee does not settle those questions, and it only sharpens them. [Read more 🡒]