LJ McCray keeps showing up on the kind of lists that make your jaw drop. The Florida edge rusher was one of two Gators included in Bruce Feldman’s 101 athletic freaks in college football, landing at No.
- Jayden Woods checked in at No. 5, and that ranking fits what Woods has already put on tape.
McCray, though, is still in the proving-it stage.
Feldman’s writeup explains why the physical gifts are impossible to ignore. The 6-7, 270-pounder bumped his top-end speed from 18.5 mph to 20.31 mph and added 21 pounds of lean muscle mass, according to Florida strength coach Rusty Whitt. He also power cleaned 365 pounds, a number that stands out even more because of McCray’s height.
The problem is that the traits haven’t yet translated into much production on the field.
McCray’s path has already featured more questions than answers. Last season barely got started before it was over, with McCray playing only a few snaps in the South Florida game before a foot injury shut him down for the rest of the year. Now entering his third year, he has to start making the leap.
His résumé is still pretty thin: a decent showing against FCS opponent Samford and a half sack against UCF as a true freshman in 2024. Some fans were surprised he stayed put after the coaching change, but the expectation is that Jon Sumrall’s demanding style could be the push he needs.
Sumrall sounded optimistic in the spring, but he also made clear the competition is real.
"You've got Cam James, and you've got Emmanuel Oyebadejo and you've got LJ McCray. I'm like, all right, we've got a chance over there. There are a lot of guys in that room that I think can play winning football," Sumrall said during the spring.
That leaves McCray with a straightforward challenge. He has to turn the freakish athletic profile into actual snaps, actual disruption, and actual production. If it doesn’t happen in 2026, Gainesville may not be the place where it ever does, because Sumrall won’t sit around waiting forever.
In Other News...
Floridas First Full-Pad Practice Exposed One Big Question Up Front
The Gators got into full pads for the first time of fall camp on Aug. 11, a useful checkpoint as they move through their sixth practice and inch toward the Sept. 5 season opener. The first day in full gear usually tells you a lot about where a roster is sturdy and where the coaches are still searching, and Floridas work showed both. The team is still building toward live tackling, which is set to begin Aug. 15 during an intrasquad scrimmage, so this was the stage where the competition started to sharpen without quite turning fully real.
One of the more encouraging signs came with wide receiver Dallas Wilson back in live passing work, giving the offense another piece to evaluate as camp intensity rises. Up front, though, the Gators are still feeling out their best combinations, and that uncertainty extends beyond the obvious starting spots. Theres also a real battle developing behind Jayden Woods at edge rusher, which only adds to the sense that Floridas depth chart is far from settled even as the season start gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Florida QB Battle Reignites Concern Over Aaron Philos Biggest Limitation
The quarterback competition in Gainesville has stayed one of the most watched parts of Floridas offseason, and a recent practice clip involving Aaron Philo brought an old concern right back into focus. Philo arrived with a reputation for being a steady, capable passer, but questions about arm strength have followed him since his Georgia Tech days, and this look only sharpened the conversation around what he can and cannot do in the Gators offense.
None of that means the battle is anywhere close to settled. Tramell Jones Jr. brings a different set of strengths, and Florida still appears to be weighing how each quarterback fits the job rather than simply chasing one trait in a vacuum. Arm strength matters, but it is only one piece of the evaluation, and the open competition suggests the staff is still sorting out which skill set gives the Gators the best path forward. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Receiver Battle Just Got Tougher For One Overlooked Gator
A quiet subplot in Floridas receiver room has been TJ Abrams decision to stick around after the coaching change, a choice that kept the redshirt sophomore in Gainesville even as the roster and depth chart continue to shift. Abrams had every reason to weigh his options, but staying put reflects both his comfort in Florida and the value he places on finishing his degree at the university, which gives his return a different kind of meaning than a typical offseason stay-or-go decision.
Now the work gets more competitive. Abrams is headed into fall camp with a crowded group of receivers around him, and hes using the offseason to sharpen the parts of his game that can separate him from the pack, focusing on his speed and route running with the staff. For a player looking to carve out a bigger role, theres not much margin for error, and this camp will be a first real test of whether that patience turns into opportunity. [Read more 🡒]