With Florida football through six practices of fall camp, buzz has been building around the new-look offense the Gators will display under offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
When asked to describe the offensive scheme, junior offensive lineman Harrison Moore dropped one word: “Explosive.”
A transfer from Georgia Tech, Moore is entering his third season in Faulkner’s system. His time as a Yellow Jacket allowed him to see the versatility of Faulkner’s offense, and he’s excited to see how he utilizes the weapons at Florida, he said.
“We can hurt you in a lot of ways, and it’s really fun to watch how he operates,” Moore said.
Faulkner’s move to Florida also played a role in bringing Moore to Gainesville. The junior said his familiarity with Faulkner, quarterback Aaron Philo, receiver Bailey Stockton and tight end Luke Harpring factored into his decision to transfer. In addition, Florida’s rich history and its acquisition of offensive line coach Phil Trautwein from Penn State made the move easier.
“Florida is one of the premier programs in the county, and there’s not a lot of other places that you want to play at the highest level,” Moore said.
Now nearing the 2026 season, Moore said the offensive line is physical and athletic. Though there is still work to be done, the line understands the importance of consistency and success. As Moore put it, because the offensive line is the heart of the team, it doesn’t matter how good your skill position players are if you have a bad offensive line.
To foster competition and push players’ athleticism, Moore said director of football performance Rusty Whitt made the offensive line face the defensive line every day throughout the summer, whether it was in the weight room, during runs or during walkthroughs.
“It was tooth-and nail-competitive, and iron sharpens iron,” Moore said.
However, head coach Jon Sumrall has said the offensive line has flashed but needs to remain more consistent. While “they’re more than good enough” at their best, Sumrall wants to see each player at their best every rep.
Because of this, continuity and consistency on the offensive front are things the O-line has embraced, setting the standard that the collective outcome matters more than the quality of an individual rep.
“It’s five for one,” Moore said. “It doesn’t matter if you had a good play, if your right guard had a bad play, we all have a bad play.”
In addition, his competitive, driven mentality and familiarity with the offense has helped Moore immediately transition into a leadership role. He said he’s worked to help younger players adapt to the jump from high school to college, preaching the need for a fierce work ethic.
“You’ve gotta be 100% bought into every workout, there’s no off days, there’s no ‘I don’t feel good today,” Moore said. “If you want to win and we want to take the Gators back to where I think they should belong, winning SEC championships, winning national championships, being a storied program, it just takes more.”
Redshirt sophomore receiver TJ Abrams is also geared to bring Florida football back to prominence. He said the team’s player-led structure has helped the team gel, while learning from J. Michael Sturdivant and Tre Wilson III last season taught him a lot entering his third year at Florida. Despite a 4-8 finish in 2025 and a transfer cycle that saw the Gators lose eight receivers to the portal, Abrams stuck with Florida.
“The Gator name means more than NIL can bring at the end of the day,” Abrams said.
He said the atmosphere around the program is that the players want it more than the coaches do, largely because many players experienced a disheartening 4-8 season in 2025. Though Florida’s coaching staff is bought into making the program the best it can be, Abrams said he can feel the brotherhood Florida has built through players taking initiative and helping lead the team.
“We can’t be 4-8 anymore; we’ve got to set Florida back on what it used to be,” Abrams said. “[Sumrall] just wants us to be more in tune with each other, a team that’s player-led. That’s what he preaches the most. A player-led team is always a better team.”
Along with the urgency and commitment he’s seen from the team as a whole, Abrams said the quarterback competition is one of the best battles he’s experienced.
He identified Philo as a vocal leader and game manager, while noting Tramell Jones Jr.'s impressive arm talent and ability to “put it on the money.”
In an offense labeled “explosive,” Whitt has also helped Abrams improve his speed. With the redshirt sophomore working to improve his ability to sustain his top speed, Florida’s offense will pose a threat in 2026 with Abrams working alongside Eric Singleton Jr., Vernell Brown III, Dallas Wilson and Stockton.
“Being able to keep that top speed and keep running at that top speed, that’s what coach Whitt came in to help, and I feel like that’s been making me better on the field too,” he said.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his fifth semester at The Alligator. He is currently the sports editor, and previously served as a reporter for men's tennis, sports enterprise and football. He is currently pursuing a public relations minor and is an avid Duval sports fan. (#DTWD)
