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Florida Gators 2026 Spring Camp Practice No. 13 Notebook

The Florida Gators began its final week of spring camp with a practice on Tuesday.
Cam Parker|
The Florida Gators began its final week of spring camp on Tuesday.
The Florida Gators began its final week of spring camp on Tuesday. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

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Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators began its final week of spring camp on Tuesday with a practice inside the indoor practice facility due to inclement weather. During the Gators' 13th practice of camp, the media were invited to cover a 40-minute portion of warmups and on-air individual drills before a press conference after practice.

"It wasn't like we couldn’t go outside, but didn't want to be slipping and falling on the grass," head coach Jon Sumrall said. "There'll be a time and a place to work, plenty of wet ball, you know, weather-type practices, but with only getting 15 in the spring, I really wanted to take the time to make sure we were intentional about the work we got and not waste a whole lot of reps slipping and sliding.

"We're still very much in a foundational stage of installing just base things. Kind of recalibrating and kind of getting back to the ground level some things this week as we close, so that we can really have an idea of what we can build around, who we're gonna be to some degree. It's really early, but all in all, some good work today. A lot of different situational stuff at the end that y'all were not there for, but a red zone period, two-minute situational period where you got to be thrust into action for his fast field goal, or tore a field goal up, and when can we clock it, and all sorts of things. But guys have been working hard. I liked it. I like the intent."

Florida Gators on SI was in attendance. Here is a participation report, some notes and clips taken during the viewing period.

Participation Report

Florida Gators on SI previously detailed the Gators' first spring injury report, which can be read here.

Non-contact with position group

  • CB CJ Bronaugh

Rehab in weight room away from position drills

  • WR Justin Williams (undisclosed)
  • WR Dallas Wilson (foot)
  • OL Fletcher Westphal (wrist)
  • DL Mason Clinton (knee) *out for entirety of camp
  • DL Kendall Guervil (knee) *out for entirety of camp
  • DL Jalen Wiggins (hip) *out for entirety of camp
  • Jack Titus Bullard (undisclosed)

Absent from practice

  • TE Heze Kent (ankle)
  • OL Chancellor Campbell (knee) *out for entirety of camp
  • OL Knijeah Harris (undisclosed)

Sumrall Details Plans for Spring Game

Florida's final day of spring camp will be on Saturday in the Swamp for the team's annual spring game. It will also mark the first time the team plays in front of fans, with free admission into the Swamp for the scrimmage, which begins at noon.

Sumrall, entering his first spring game as the Gators' head coach, said that the team needs to take advantage of the opportunity to play inside the Swamp, which he said is "sacred."

“I just want guys to play fast and physical," he said. "You know, 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 them to feel that our guys enjoy playing the game, and that they're gonna play with an edge and a chip on their shoulder."

Jon Sumrall is now up to three commits in his 2027 recruiting class.
Jon Sumrall is days away from his first spring camp with Florida | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

As far as the format, Sumrall said it will be full-speed and tackling to the ground outside of the quarterbacks with the offense and defense split up, a change from the previous regime's format of a draft and splitting up the coaching staff and support staffs. With that, Sumrall said that the offense will have a traditional scoring format, while the defense will get points for three-and-outs, punts, turnovers on downs and takeaways.

He first implemented that format at Troy due to the lack of offensive linemen available to split up the offense into two teams. Sumrall added that his focus with this year's roster is development, not splitting up position groups for a scrimmage.

"We need to develop our competitive depth in this roster," he said. "I don't feel really good, in full disclosure I am very uncomfortable with the depth of how competitive we are. In this league, you better be. We're not there yet - at all. It's a little uneasy for me. So we need to challenge some guys to go play football."

Transfers Emerging at WR and DB

While they are underrated portal acquisitions, former Baylor defensive back DJ Coleman and former Wake Forest receiver Micah Mays Jr. have quickly emerged as possible contributors for the 2026 season despite the returning talent on their respective positions.

On Tuesday, both met with the media for the first time to discuss their decisions to join the Gators.

Coleman, projected to start at safety opposite of Bryce Thornton, said it came down to wanting "to be a part of something historical" as well as the coaches' plan for him in Brad White's defense.

"What I like about this defense is that it allows you to play very versatile, and Coach White will put you in positions to show your skill set," he said. "And there are a lot of things that a lot of people can do and can't do, but he finds the way to put you in the position to highlight your strengths, and then there's a lot of vision, and he allows us to play very free, to make plays."

Safety DJ Coleman was Florida's first transfer addition this offseason.
Safety DJ Coleman was Florida's first transfer addition this offseason. | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coleman also has the distinction of being Sumrall's first transfer commit as Florida's head coach, something Coleman takes pride in being.

"I feel like I really felt the love here, and I didn't want to be in the portal too long," he explained. "I wanted to find a home fast, and just the way that the coaches were communicating with me, just talking to me throughout the whole process, I just felt like this would be the right choice, and I just jumped on it as soon as I could."

Mays Jr., meanwhile, fell a bit under the radar after transferring from Wake Forest but has quickly emerged as a playmaker in camp, consistently garnering praise from his new coaches and new teammates. Despite entering a room that has two former five-stars in Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson, an experienced veteran transfer in Eric Singleton Jr. and a playmaker with system familiarity in Bailey Stockton, Mays is embracing the challenge of finding a role in the offense.

"Everyone in there is highly competitive and works a lot, so just seeing that, it kind of brings the best out of you every single day," he said. "Straining more, putting in extra time, like, everyone is catching JUGS after practice. Just having that accountability and that high demand every single day is just pushing you to be the best.”

Gasparato Searching for Vocal Leadership

As Greg Gasparato takes over a deep linebacker room with plenty of leadership from Myles Graham, Aaron Chiles and Jaden Robinson, he is still searching for more.

"Playing linebacker is a very demanding position," Gasparato said. "You are the quarterback of the defense. You’re involved in the front and you’re involved in coverage. It’s not just one or the other. You got to set fronts at times based off of the call, you’ve also got to be on the same page with defensive backs. You have to be vocal or you can not play. You got to be able to talk, run, and hit to play linebacker. And if you can’t talk, it’s going to be really difficult to play this position."

Senior linebacker Jaden Robinson is the most veteran member of Florida's linebacker room.
Senior linebacker Jaden Robinson is the most veteran member of Florida's linebacker room. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

As a result, Gasparato and defensive coordinator Brad White have five linebackers working with the in-helmet radio communication for play calls as the staff works through who can do it and who cannot. It starts, though, with being able to effectively communicate on the field.

"It’s a different age, and I tell them all the time, you can’t text each other on the field. You can’t do it," Gasparato said. "You can’t snapchat, whatever the heck it is, you can’t do it. You have to talk, you got to be loud, you got to be assertive. When there’s 90 thousand people in the stands, you got to find a way to communicate, you got to walk up and be an alpha and get everybody on the same page."

Gasparato added that he sees improvement from all of the linebackers in that regard. Graham, since returning from injury, is arguably the most vocal, while senior Jaden Robinson has made tremendous strides in his final offseason.

"Sometimes, you can’t keep him quiet in the meeting room," Gasparato said of Robinson.

In addition to having each linebacker work as the on-field play-caller with in-helmet communication, Saturday's spring game will provide another opportunity to put communication into practice.

Other Practice Clips

Previous Florida Gators Spring Camp Notebooks

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Cam Parker
CAM PARKER

Cam Parker is a reporter covering the Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers and Clemson Tigers with a degree in journalism from the University of Florida. He also covers and broadcasts Alachua County high school sports with The Prep Zone and Mainstreet Daily News. When he isn't writing, he enjoys listening to '70s music such as The Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, binge-watching shows and playing with his cat, Chester, and dog, Rufus.

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