The Gators wrap their first spring under head coach Jon Sumrall on Saturday afternoon in the Orange & Blue Spring Game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Photo: UAA Communications)
New Faces Highlight Sumrall's First Orange & Blue Game
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Once he clocked out for good at Tulane, once he hired his inaugural UF coaching staff, and once Jon Sumrall finalized his first Gators roster, he stepped up to the microphone two months ago for his first press conference of 2026.
The first-year Gators head coach had a lot to unpack, and he didn't take long to address the most important aspect of his new job.
The players.
"Roughly half the team is brand new,'' Sumrall said.
Change always accompanies a program in transition, and this year's Gators fit the bill, with Sumrall hired to replace Billy Napier. And players come and go like never before in the NIL era of college football.
Still, Florida's roster reconstruction in its first spring camp under Sumrall dominated the headlines and reshaped the program's identity. As the Gators close camp on Saturday afternoon with the annual Orange & Blue Spring Game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, newness remains the primary theme.
Sumrall said the Gators are nowhere near a finished product – or even the team he envisions when the Gators open the season Sept. 5 at home against Florida Atlantic.
His focus on Saturday is on the Gators showing fans that this is a team committed to hard work, improvement and a passion for the game.
"I just want guys to play fast and physical,'' he said. "We're not going to be perfect. There will be some mistakes made. I might make one Saturday. We may put a bad play-call in. But I want [the fans] to feel that our guys enjoy playing the game, and that they're going to play with an edge and a chip on their shoulder."
Meanwhile, many of the players on Florida Field on Saturday will be making their debut in front of the home fans. Sumrall said he knows what veterans such as junior running back Jadan Baugh can do, so don't expect to see Baugh break Robert Gillespie's spring-game record of 23 carries (Gillespie set the record in 1998).
Instead, much of the intrigue in this year's Orange & Blue Game centers around the newcomers. Here are eight of the newbies worth keeping an eye on Saturday:
QB AARON PHILO
Since the moment Philo transferred from Georgia Tech to rejoin offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, many have assumed he will be Florida's starting quarterback. That may eventually be the case, but all indications are that Philo has been in a tight battle with returning redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. in camp. The biggest advantage Philo has over Jones is his familiarity with Faulkner's pro-style hybrid offense, and that could be the separator this fall. However, Jones has a summer to dive deeper into the playbook and sharpen his knowledge of Faulkner's offense. While Jones has played in front of Gators fans, this will be their first look at the 6-foot-1, 208-pound Philo. He is not going to wow anyone with his physical attributes, but Philo carries himself with confidence and has proven he is a competitor and a winner – Faulkner's top priority in evaluating quarterbacks.
Quarterback Aaron Philo warms up before a recent scrimmage. (Photo: Anthony Garro/UAA Communications)
WR ERIC SINGLETON JR.
The transfer from Auburn is another newcomer who has a history in Faulkner's offense. Singleton played two seasons at Georgia Tech before transferring to Auburn, where he caught 58 passes last season. The 5-foot-10, 182-pound Singleton offers experience and blazing speed to a receivers corps that features returners Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson, the star of last year's spring game. If the trio stays healthy, Florida's offense has the potential to have one of the most dynamic groups of starting receivers in the country. Singleton caught 104 passes for 1,468 yards and nine touchdowns in his two seasons in Faulkner's offense at Georgia Tech, and eased right back into the offense this spring after a year away.
OL TJ SHANAHAN JR.
The transfer from Penn State received a shout-out from Sumrall after the first scrimmage for his physicality, which is a trait Shanahan embraces. "I just like the physicality of football,'' he said last season at Penn State. "I feel like that's something I've always looked forward to. Practice, games, I mean anything." Shanahan emerged as a starter for the Nittany Lions a season ago after transferring from Texas A&M. He followed Gators offensive line coach Phil Trautwein from Happy Valley and gives the Gators some much-needed nastiness along the offensive line. Shanahan's older cousin is former Gators offensive lineman Jon Halapio, and his father and older brothers also played in college. At 6-foot-4, 311 pounds, Shanahan provides some beef on the interior line and arrived with 10 career starts (five last season at Penn State, five at Texas A&M in 2024).
RB EVAN PRYOR
He started his career at Ohio State and, after three injury-plagued seasons, resurfaced at Cincinnati, where he rushed for almost 1,000 yards the past two seasons. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Pryor is a downhill runner who has shown in camp that he does not shy away from contact. While Baugh is clearly RB1, Pryor has flashed enough in camp to show he will be a reliable option when called upon.
DL EMMANUEL OYEBADEJO
A transfer from FCS Jacksonville State, Oyebadejo instantly gained notoriety this spring when photos of him in the weight room were posted on the team's social media accounts. A 6-foot-6, 303-pound native of Manchester, England, Oyebadejo passes the eye test. He is a physically gifted athlete with the raw talent to become a difference-maker. Oyebadejo has had to adjust to the higher level of competition, but he has held his own and, with some refinement, could be a sleeper for a breakout season.
Defensive lineman Emmanuel Oyebadejo has garnered attention for his physical attributes in spring camp. (Photo: Ethan Roy/UAA Communications)
DB KANYE CLARK
A transfer from UCLA, Clark drew praise early in camp for his blend of quickness and willingness to play physical. Those are important traits at the STAR position in Florida's defense, a hybrid position manned primarily by Sharif Denson a season ago. Clark cracked the Bruins' lineup last season and started two games at nickel before opting to enter the transfer portal. He found a home with the Gators, and early returns suggest Clark can help shore up a secondary that lost five players from last season's team.
S DJ COLEMAN
He transferred from Baylor, where he rejoined former Bears teammates Brendan Bett, a defensive lineman who transferred to UF last season, and DK Kalu, a defensive lineman who joined the Gators this spring. The 6-foot, 209-pound Coleman is a more physical player than Jordan Castell, a starter last season who transferred to Kentucky. Coleman registered 46 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss a season ago at Baylor, and he provides Florida's revamped secondary with some much-needed toughness on the backend.
K PATRICK DURKIN
The Gators have had some of the best kickers in program history in recent seasons, a stretch that has included NFL talents Eddy Pineiro and Evan McPherson, and last year's kicker, Trey Smack, who should find a home in an NFL camp sometime this summer. Durkin transferred from Tulane and has impressive credentials. He made 25 of 28 field goals a season ago to earn American Athletic Conference Specialist of the Year honors. He has big cleats to fill in Smack, but Durkin passed the test at Tulane after joining the program as a walk-on before going on scholarship.
