Shane Matthews isn’t buying the cautious approach around Florida’s new era. The former Gators quarterback says there’s plenty to like already, and for him, the biggest reason is the man now steering the offense: Buster Faulkner.
Matthews joined 1010XL in Jacksonville and talked with Dan Hicken about what Florida might look like in 2026, and he didn’t hold back on his confidence in the staff Jon Sumrall has assembled. In his view, Faulkner is a major piece of the puzzle, and the hire was an easy win for the program.
Matthews, a two-time SEC Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991, said he spent time around the team during spring and came away encouraged by what he saw. The part that stood out most was the passing game.
"I saw more completions in spring practice than I've seen around here in a long time and that excites me," Matthews said.
He also drew a direct line between Sumrall and Hall of Fame Florida coach Steve Spurrier, a comparison Matthews is in a position to make. As a three-time All-SEC first-team quarterback, he led the conference in passing from 1990-92 under Spurrier and saw firsthand how Spurrier handled the media and pushed his players. Matthews sees a similar edge in Sumrall.
"You don't see a lot of coaches calling out players or groups, but he expects to win. He knows he has to win here," he said.
Faulkner, though, is the name Matthews kept circling back to. He believes the offensive setup is strong enough to give Florida a real chance to get rolling again, even with a quarterback battle still to settle between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones. Matthews’ point is simple: the pieces around that spot are good enough to make life easier for whoever wins the job.
"From a skill standpoint, with the wide receivers and the running backs, I haven't seen this much skill in quite some time," Matthews added. "Both these kids are very accurate. They know where to go with the football and they're coached well."
That talent is hard to miss. Jadan Baugh is expected to be one of the top running backs in the country, and Florida’s top three receivers - Dallas Wilson, Eric Singleton and Vernell Brown III-have the kind of upside that could make them one of the SEC’s best trios.
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Cole is set to announce his commitment Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on the CBSSports College Football YouTube channel, and Florida is one of four schools still in the mix along with Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss. For the Gators, it is another reminder of how much these late-summer battles can hinge on trust, staff relationships and the way a program sells itself to a top target. [Read more 🡒]