Fourteen practices and two scrimmages later, Florida football has arrived at the endpoint of Spring ball: the annual Orange and Blue Spring Game.
But the game is set to look a lot different than it has in years past. New head coach Jon Sumrall has overhauled the contest to pit the offense (the Blue team, with quarterbacks wearing non-contact Orange jerseys) against the defense (the Orange team, wearing white).
“I just want guys to play fast and physical," Sumrall said. "We're not gonna be perfect. There will be some mistakes made. I might make one on 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 gonna play with an edge and a chip on their shoulder."
Here are some areas to keep an eye on as Florida’s new faces see a fan-filled Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the first time.
New format, new rules:
With the offense facing the defense rather than two mixed teams facing off, Sumrall continued the spring game format he instituted during his time at Troy and Tulane.
For four 15-minute quarters with a running clock, both sides of the ball will compete with one another. The clock will only stop during scoring plays, penalties, changes of possession and during the last two minutes of each half.
The offense will have a traditional scoring format with six-point touchdowns, three-point field goals, two-point conversions and one-point extra points.
Another wrinkle was added Tuesday when Sumrall revealed the offense will also have a chance to get a three-point conversion from the 5-yard line and a four-point conversion from the 10-yard line, which could be a factor if they are behind late in the contest.
Meanwhile, the defense will get six points for a takeaway, three points for a three-and-out or a forced turnover on downs and one point for a forced punt. That scoring structure allows for fair competition between the two sides without giving the offense an inherent advantage.
"I don't really know. It came out of my brain," Sumrall said of the format. "I just said, 'Well, let's go offense versus defense. Let the offense get points by how the offense gets points. Let's get the defense opportunity to get points.'”
The quarterback battle continues:
Arguably, the biggest storyline from spring thus far has been the ongoing battle for the starting quarterback role between Georgia Tech transfer redshirt sophomore Aaron Philo and returning redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr.
While both Philo and Jones have shown flashes, neither one has pulled away from the other in a battle that seems destined to continue up until the season begins in September.
“Day by day, one guy will flash a little bit, and then the next day the other guy will flash,” quarterbacks coach Joe Craddock said Thursday. “It's been a good battle. It's gonna go for a while. We're always evaluating everything, and we're not ready to make any decision quite yet.”
Fans can reasonably expect to see Philo and Jones evenly split snaps Saturday, with both signal callers having the opportunity to show their skills in The Swamp.
But one wild-card remains: true freshman Will Griffin. The former four-star recruit went from being labeled a “wild stallion” by Craddock near the beginning of spring to now a guy the UF quarterbacks coach said is “everything you want in a quarterback.”
In Sumrall’s penultimate year at Tulane in 2024, then-redshirt freshman Darian Mensah was the third-string quarterback for practically all of the preseason before earning the starting job weeks before the season began. Griffin could have a shot at the same feat, and a strong performance Saturday could be a catalyst for him doing so.
Eyes on the offensive line:
One can argue that no area of the Florida roster went through more turmoil during the offseason than its offensive line. With veterans Jake Slaughter and Austin Barber likely headed to the pros and Damieon George Jr. out of eligibility, only two of five starters from last season’s line carried over into 2026.
While Florida added plenty of offensive line depth in the transfer portal, no addition was bigger than that of its new offensive line coach, former Gator standout Phil Trautwein.
The former Penn State and Boston College offensive line coach has instantly changed the attitude and the culture of the offensive line group since arriving back in Gainesville.
He’s helping develop current talent as well as recruiting future contributors like recent five-star UF commit Maxwell Hiller.
But while the future is seemingly bright in the offensive trenches, many questions remain about the present. With more than 10 players competing for the five starting roles, a standout performance Saturday can help separate the starters from the depth pieces.
“They have a lot of talent, and talent will only get us so far,” Trautwein said in February. “One thing I can say about all the guys in that room is that they all want to be there, and they all want to be coached, and they all want to be demanded a lot from, and they want to get better, and that’s half the battle.”
The department of defense:
While spring games usually cater to high-powered offenses, Florida’s defense comes in with plenty of momentum after strong showings throughout Spring practices and scrimmages.
"I've seen a lot of different guys step up and be active and make plays," Sumrall said. "I think there's a lot of different types of play styles in there.”
While improvement has been made across the entire side of the ball, several players have specifically stood out as potential risers.
Among those standouts are former blue-chip defensive lineman LJ McCray, who looks destined to make an impact during his redshirt sophomore year.
Meanwhile, UCLA transfer Kanye Clark and Baylor transfer DJ Coleman have both made pushes for instant playing time due to their quick acclimations to defensive coordinator Brad White’s system. The latter said Tuesday he was ready to show out in front of the Florida faithful for the first time.
“I just want to show them that this is a new era of Florida Gators and what we're bringing to the 2026 football season is a brand of football that they can trust and believe in when it comes to games,” Coleman said.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is a junior sports journalism student in his seventh semester at The Alligator. He serves as The Alligator's assistant sports editor and football beat coordinator. He previously served as The Alligator's sports editor and as a reporter for football, women's tennis, volleyball, lacrosse and sports enterprise. He also has made multiple appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. Max wants to shoutout his cats, Scooter and Zoe, and niche former Florida Panthers players (shoutout Maxim Mamin).
