GAINESVILLE - Jon Sumrall came into Florida with a clear idea of what he wanted to build around. He called Jadan Baugh, Vernell Brown III, Myles Graham, Dallas Wilson and Jayden Woods the Gators’ “Big Five,” the group that would help set the tone for his first team.
The results have been uneven so far, but Sumrall is already thinking ahead to 2027 and trying to keep Florida from tearing itself down and starting over. With three games left in the season, he’s looking for the pieces that make the most sense to keep in place.
One of them is Duke Clark. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound sophomore could slide into Baugh’s role if the tailback leaves for the NFL, and Florida might not lose much at all. Clark looks like a more direct north-south runner and also brings more as a receiver out of the backfield.
Myles Graham belongs in that conversation too. A strong junior year may have been his last at Florida, but the Gators would love to have their defensive leader back. Graham’s recent stretch, including a 15-tackle game against Oklahoma, showed why another season could help both him and the program.
Brown and Wilson remain part of the long-range picture as well. Brown missed five games with a knee injury, but his ability to get open, make plays and force defenses to adjust before the snap is hard to replace. Wilson, at 6-3 and 213 pounds, has the kind of frame and hands coaches covet, even if he hasn’t yet matched the two-touchdown breakout he had against Texas in 2025.
Neither receiver has had the kind of sophomore season that turns heads, but both could take a step in Year 2 in Buster Faulkner’s system. The financial side may matter too, since both might have to accept a pay cut.
Florida’s secondary has its own candidate in Ben Hanks III. The sophomore corner played only three games in 2025, but he has grown with every opportunity and is trending toward becoming both a playmaker and a leader in 2027. That matters even more because the position is already thin.
Up front, Harrison Moore is another name to watch. The former tight end is 6-3 and 293 pounds, and his path has drawn a comparison to Jake Slaughter, who went from first-time starter to All-American center.
Moore’s rise may not be as dramatic, but he could end up anchoring an offensive line that needs to make real progress in 2027. He’ll need more strength to go with his effort and intelligence, which makes him a natural offseason project for Rusty Whitt.
Woods still fits the future, too, even if the production hasn’t fully matched the promise. Brad White said Tuesday the “floodgates didn’t open” the way Florida hoped after Woods’ 2.5-sack performance in Week 3 at Auburn.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound sophomore has kept sharpening his pass rush and came close to sacks in each of the last two games. If he keeps adding counters to his game, the athleticism is there for him to become a disruptive force.
Quarterback remains the biggest question. Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. haven’t shown enough yet to be ruled in or out, but neither has been tested enough for a final verdict.
Jones had a rough night against Oklahoma in his second college start, and Faulkner pointed to the experience gap by comparing him to Sooners quarterback John Mateer, who was making his 45th career start.
“You don’t know how valuable that stat really is,” Faulkner said. “You’ve started 45 games, the things you’ve seen, the defenses you’ve seen, the speed of the game, the adjustments that go with it, that every week adjusting to a new defense - that’s very, very valuable.
“The best ones I’ve been around are better when they’re older.”
That’s why Florida could still go after an experienced quarterback in the transfer portal. But Faulkner also made it clear that developing Philo and Jones is still on the table. He had his reasons for going after Philo from Georgia Tech despite his limited starting experience, and Jones showed enough in Florida’s comeback at Texas to keep the door open.
Georgia and Oklahoma exposed both quarterbacks, but if Florida gets better up front, either one could still work. The fan base may want a fresh answer, yet the Gators might end up staying with what they have.
“What’s it gonna look like when they’ve got 25 starts? It’s going to look a lot different,” Faulkner said.
“That’s the reality of the situation. So we’re going to continue to evaluate, just like every other position.”
Florida’s next test comes in Lexington, where the Gators are headed back to Kentucky again because of scheduling quirks tied to the SEC’s move from eight to nine conference games and adjusted opponent rotations. It’s another trip to the Bluegrass State after last November’s 38-7 loss, and another chance to try to change a recent trend that has not been kind to Florida there.
The Gators have lost three straight in Lexington, though the last two visits were saved by quarterback heroics. Luke Del Rio erased a 13-point deficit in the final 13 minutes to win 28-27 in 2017, and in 2019 Kyle Trask came off the bench for injured Feleipe Franks with Florida trailing 21-10 late in the third quarter before the Gators pulled out a 29-21 win that launched Trask’s rise into a school-record setter and Heisman finalist in 2020.
This time, Florida faces a No. 11 Kentucky team led by 37-year-old coach Will Stein. The Wildcats are 7-2 and 5-2, and the Gators will need something special again.
One more wrinkle: Kentucky safety Jordan Castell, once a Florida starter, has turned into one of the SEC’s better defensive backs since transferring. Castell left Gainesville after three seasons with 168 tackles, three interceptions and 12 pass break-ups, but he was often too indecisive and didn’t deliver enough impact plays for Florida’s secondary.
At Kentucky, it’s a different story. Castell leads the Wildcats with a career-high 68 tackles and is tied for the SEC lead with four interceptions. Former Florida defensive back Aaron Gates has also made his mark there with seven pass break-ups.
Sumrall said when he arrived in early December that Castell’s decision to leave had already been made. Gates, though, was one he thought Florida would keep.
“Then he had a change of heart,” Sumrall said. “Those were two guys I wanted to keep.”
Florida (5-3, 3-4 SEC) visits No. 13 Kentucky (7-2, 5-2) at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
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