With Florida’s 2026-27 schedule now official, the non-conference slate gives the Gators a mix of familiar names, tricky styles and a few teams with plenty to prove. Some of these opponents are easy to recognize. Others are more about the specific player, the system or the storyline than the brand name.
The headliners are obvious enough. Florida and Duke are set up to be the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the preseason AP Poll, which makes their December meeting one of the biggest games on the calendar before the season even starts. Beyond that, though, there’s a lot to sort through.
Jacksonville comes in with a coach who knows Florida well. Jordan Mincy, a former Gators assistant, is entering year six, and the job has been a grind in an era that has made life harder for programs like Jacksonville.
Even with the constant roster churn, the return of Hayden Wood stands out. The 6-foot-6 wing was one of the better freshmen in the Atlantic Sun last season, putting up 11.8 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 38% from three.
He may have had other options, but the in-state product decided to stay put, and he’s the name to circle.
Florida State is another one with a clear angle. The Gators have owned this rivalry lately, and they’ll be expected to keep that going against a Seminole roster that looks light on star power.
Florida State’s approach leans heavily on transfers from other power conferences, the kind of players who didn’t get much run at their previous stops but still have the tools to play at this level. That should give them a workable floor, even if the ceiling doesn’t look especially high.
Merrimack brings something completely different. This is the third straight year Florida has played the Warriors, and Joe Gallo’s team is as recognizable as it gets because of its 2-3 zone. They run it almost all the time, so the Gators won’t have to guess what’s coming.
Notre Dame is a different kind of test, mostly because the program has settled into a strange middle ground in recent years. The Irish haven’t been close to the NCAA Tournament, but they also haven’t been bad enough to draw much heat.
That makes this a big season for Micah Shrewsberry, who has posted losing ACC records in all three of his years there. The roster includes a few Ivy League up-transfers and is led by Braeden Shrewsberry, who stayed in South Bend and gave his father’s team a shot.
Milwaukee is another team with a rebound story attached to it. The Panthers were supposed to contend for the Horizon League title last season, but injuries wrecked everything and kept them from ever getting whole. Chandler Jackson, a versatile 6-foot-7 wing, is one of the key returners, and Milwaukee has also added some high-major down-transfers as it tries to get back on track.
Vermont has one player who jumps off the page immediately: Gus Yalden. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound big man, nicknamed “Gus Bus,” fits the mold of the kind of player college basketball fans latch onto.
He’s a below-the-rim playmaking big with real creativity and skill, even without the kind of athletic pop that usually turns heads. After averaging 16.1 points and 5.8 rebounds, it’s a bit of a surprise that he came back, but that only makes him more interesting.
Florida A&M is coached by Charlie Ward, and yes, that Charlie Ward. The former Heisman-winning football player began his coaching career last season and had a solid first year in the SWAC. Year two will tell more about what he’s building.
Then there’s LIU, which may end up being one of the more intriguing non-conference games on the schedule. The Sharks already outperformed expectations last season, winning the NEC and reaching the NCAA Tournament.
Now they may have taken a huge leap in talent with the eligibility of Matt and Ryan Bewley. The twins were once 5-star recruits from Florida, and Florida recruited both of them.
They were early adopters of Overtime Elite, believed they’d keep their college eligibility, and later were ruled ineligible. They fought for eligibility for years, even signing with Chicago State at one point before being ruled ineligible again.
After multiple years at the JUCO level, they’re finally eligible, and the question now is what they can actually do on the floor.
Florida still has more non-conference opponents to be announced, along with a few additional marquee games in Las Vegas depending on how things go against Notre Dame.
In Other News...
Dan Mullen May Have A Path Florida Fans Won't Want To See
Dan Mullens next chapter at UNLV is starting to look like the kind of setup that could fit him better than the one he left behind in Gainesville. The former Florida coach has been recruiting in a different lane out West, building classes in the national middle with three-star players, and the early returns suggest a program that may be tailored more to his approach than the pressure-cooker expectations that followed him at Florida.
The intrigue for Gators fans is what comes next if that fit keeps improving. CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford recently projected UNLV as the Group of Six team in the 2026 College Football Playoff, while Florida was left out of that forecast, a reminder that Mullen still has a path to national relevance even if it comes far from the SEC spotlight. For a coach whose Florida tenure produced plenty of wins, the possibility of him climbing again in a place like Las Vegas is the kind of storyline that will not go unnoticed in the Swamp. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team looking to be cleaner in close games, the addition adds another experienced voice to a unit that rarely gets the spotlight until it decides field position, momentum or even the final score. McMahons background at places like LSU, Tulane and with the Saints gives Florida a veteran presence behind the scenes, and it signals the staff is taking the hidden parts of the game seriously heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Legend Sees Something In Jon Sumrall Fans Cant Ignore
Jon Sumrall has spent the offseason giving Florida fans plenty to chew on, and not just because of what he might do on Saturdays. His candid personality has landed well, and the early returns on player retention and staff assembly have helped steady a fan base that was looking for reasons to believe after a noisy coaching search. Former Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel has noticed the shift, saying the skepticism around Sumrall has started to give way as people see how he operates.
Wuerffels support carries real weight in Gainesville, and he pointed to the way Sumrall has already made an impact beyond the practice field. Recruiting, fundraising and fan engagement all matter in this job, especially before a season even starts, and Sumrall seems to be checking boxes in each area. For a program trying to build momentum, the encouraging part is not just that he has made a good first impression, but that the people who know the job best are beginning to sound convinced. [Read more 🡒]