GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators hold their annual
Orange & Blue Game on Saturday afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
They will share the stage with the UF men's basketball team, which will be
honored during a halftime celebration for winning the program's third national championship. The football Gators hope to be able to celebrate similarly one day.
Entering his fourth season as Florida's head coach,
Billy Napier set the tone for spring camp at his first press conference last month when he announced sophomore quarterback
DJ Lagway would be limited.
As you can imagine, Lagway's restricted ability to throw and his recovery from a lower-body injury raised eyebrows and created headlines. Napier addressed Lagway's status again this month after the team's first scrimmage of camp.
"He's doing great. He actually played quite a few plays,'' Napier said. "So, he was able to participate in the scrimmage. He's just been modified in terms of his ability to throw the ball. Obviously, it's really more of a holistic approach in terms of what we're doing with him. But in general, he's doing great."
The Lagway story is one whose shelf life won't expire until Gators fans see him back on the field doing what he did last season when he went 6-0 in games he started and finished as Florida overcame a disastrous start to finish 8-5 and win its final four games. Lagway is not expected to throw passes on Saturday, but with a revamped roster that includes 26 players — freshmen receivers
Dallas Wilson,
Naeshaun Montgomery and
Vernell Brown III drew perhaps the most attention during camp — optimism is higher than it's ever been in Napier's tenure.
The Orange & Blue Game serves as an appetizer. If Lagway is up to his old tricks, optimism will soar when the main course arrives in five months.
Here is a primer for Saturday's game, scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.:
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FIVE SPRING THOUGHTS
Quarterback Harrison Bailey, who played at Louisville last season, in action during a spring scrimmage. (Photo: Morgan Hurd/UAA Communications)
+ With Lagway limited, reserve quarterbacks
Harrison Bailey,
Aidan Warner,
Clay Millen and true freshman
Tramell Jones Jr. took more reps than they would have with Lagway healthy. While the Gators are banking on Lagway to be ready by fall, Bailey and Warner are the top options behind him. Both will get an extended look on Saturday.
+ Fifth-year senior receiver
Michael J. Sturdivant was one of Florida's high-profile offseason acquisitions. The 6-foot-2.5, 216-pound Sturdivant offers a big target and his experience will be counted on to replace that of veterans
Chimere Dike and
Elijhah Badger from last season. He fit the bill during spring camp.
+ Freshman edge rusher
Jayden Woods received his share of praise during camp. Woods (6-3, 240) signed with the Gators out of Mill Valley High in Shawnee, Kansas. There are always a few freshmen who are stars in the preseason and then quietly fade into the background once the real action starts. Woods garnered the comments that make you think he might be a contributor in his first year on campus.
+ Young linebackers
Myles Graham and
Aaron Chiles are building blocks not only of the future but also of the present. The Gators lost
Shemar James to the NFL and Graham and Chiles have the defensive coaching staff excited about the duo's potential to be difference-makers in Year 2 on campus.
+ The Gators are in their best position entering the spring game since 2019, when heading into their second season under former coach
Dan Mullen, they carried a four-game winning streak into the offseason. Sound familiar? Florida finished 11-2 that season and beat Virginia in the Orange Bowl. Is this the breakout season Napier and Co. have been waiting on? If Lagway is ready by fall, momentum is on the Gators' side.
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FIVE QUESTIONS: BILLY NAPIER
Q: How did the end of last season impact outlook heading into spring camp?
A: You're always sorting through narrative. I think the big message for our team is, the way I would phrase it is like, 'hey, look, we're not worried about yesterday, we're not worried about tomorrow. You know, our entire focus is on today'. There's always a lot of noise on the back end. There's always a lot of hype on the front end. I think we got to live in the middle.
Gators head coach Billy Napier. (Photo: Morgan Hurd)
Q: Is there anyone you expect to make a statement in the Orange & Blue Game?
A: They'll have every opportunity. I'm excited about our fans being here, and there's no doubt they'll have an opportunity to watch all these new players that we have, and then a lot of these young players that we're developing. It's going to be an awesome day.
Q: How have young defensive backs stepped up with the secondary limited this spring?
A: It's forcing [
Jordan]
Castell — Castell's having to play with some different players, and that's making him better. We talked about being a four-dimensional Gator, you know, he's out there yelling it out. So, I think it's forced him to not assume. I think you get comfortable if you got
Bryce [
Thornton] out there, when you got
Sharif [
Denson] and
Aaron [
Gates]. As we get Bryce back, as we AG back, Sharif back, even DD [
Dijon Johnson], that secondary group's got a chance to be really special.
Q: What do you think of Walter Clayton Jr.?
A: I appreciate his poise as a competitor. He's waiting for the opportunity and he's gonna make the play when given that chance. He's kind of really come into his own, in my opinion, as a competitor and you can't help but respect it. It's one thing to be a productive player, score a bunch, it's another thing to make those shots when it counts.
Q: Does the men's basketball team's run create excitement across the rest of the athletic department?
A: Absolutely. I think that carries over. It's one of the great things about the spring semester at the University of Florida, somebody is competing for an SEC championship and a national championship, and oftentimes it's multiple teams. There's no doubt, there's an energy around it.
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HONORARY MR. TWO BITS
John Brinkman has made the most of his opportunities during his time at the University of Florida.
John Brinkman (Photo: Johnston Photography)
The UF Student Body President, Brinkman completed his undergraduate studies by triple majoring in economics, political science and philosophy. If that's not enough, Brinkman served in various roles in student government, including senate president, judiciary chairman, budget & appropriations vice chairman and junior class president.
Brinkman, from Jacksonville, will add another role to his resume on Saturday.
Brinkman is serving as Honorary Mr. Two Bits before the Orange & Blue Game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
A graduate student pursuing a master's degree in management, Brinkman is taking a break from his studies to experience a different kind of opportunity. One with a lot less homework.
"Being Mr. Two Bits is one of the greatest honors I have received at UF. Mr. Two Bits is a symbol to me that represents our school spirit and kicks off the strength and direction of a Gators home football game atmosphere,'' Brinkman said. "I grew up in Jacksonville and traveled to Gainesville when I was in elementary school to see the Swamp, and I remember being in awe to see the place that the Florida Gators play football.
"To be able to be Mr. Two Bits for this game fulfills a really special moment for me at the school that I love and for the football team I grew up watching on TV."
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POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
If you direct your eyes toward the trenches on Saturday, take a close look at redshirt junior
Jamari Lyons and sophomore
Michai Boireau. The two defensive linemen are vying to replace the tandem of
Cam Jackson and
Desmond Watson at nose tackle.
Lyons (6-3.5, 308) appeared in 12 games in 2023 and had 20 tackles. However, with more playing time on the table, Lyons suffered a season-ending broken ankle in preseason camp and missed the season. He's back and is competing against Boireau (6.4.5, 355), a talented underclassmen who made 15 tackles as a true freshman. Sophomore
D'Antre Robinson (6-3, 303) is another interior lineman who has the size to play nose. The loss of Jackson and Watson leaves a large void, but the door is open for someone to stamp their name on the job.
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NEWCOMER ALERT
Receiver Vernell Brown III. (Photo: Morgan Hurd)
The best part of the spring game in my opinion is watching the newcomers play in front of fans at The Swamp for the first time. You could ask 10 different people and get 10 different answers about which player they most want to see. I'm going with freshman receiver
Vernell Brown III, a 5-foot-11, 172-pound quick study out of Jones High in Orlando.
Brown III is a dangerous threat who grew up around the Gators. His father,
Vernell Brown Jr., played at UF, as did his grandfather. Brown III has all the tools to be a dynamic playmaker and the understanding of what it takes to success on the collegiate stage.
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PLAYERS OUT OF ACTION/LIMITED
QB
DJ Lagway (shoulder/lower body), DL
Caleb Banks (foot), LB
Grayson Howard (soft tissue), CB
Dijon Johnson (shoulder), DB
Aaron Gates (knee), DB
Sharif Denson (foot), DB Jameer Grimsley (knee), DB
Bryce Thornton (lower body), WR
Eugene Wilson III (hip), WR
Kahleil Jackson (knee), RB
Treyaun Webb (leg), DL
Stephon Shivers (back).
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QUOTE OF NOTE I
"This is by far the deepest offensive line room that we've had since we've been here. We got guys that can play." – OL coach
Rob Sale on talent up front
QUOTE OF NOTE II
"He may be the hungriest football player I've ever coached. Guy just has a passion to learn and try to be the best." – QBs coach
Ryan O'Hara on QB
DJ Lagway
QUOTE OF NOTE III
"Man, he's one of those guys. He's the first guy I put in my suitcase when I'm traveling. That kind of how I feel about it. I pack him first." — OLB/DE coach
Mike Peterson on DL
Tyreak Sapp
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ORANGE & BLUE GAME TRIVIA
Trevon Grimes turned in a record-setting performance in the 2019 spring game, which featured 95 points and more than 700 passing yards. Grimes caught four passes and two touchdowns, finishing with an Orange & Blue Game-record 195 yards receiving.
