Four Storylines to Watch in Florida’s Upcoming Spring Game

The Florida Gators play football in front of fans in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the first time in 2026 Saturday, with the annual Orange and Blue spring game scheduled to kick off at noon.

With an almost completely revamped roster and coaching staff under new head coach Jon Sumrall, Florida Gators on SI will be monitoring these four storylines throughout the action.

The Trench Battle

The Gators offensive and defensive trenches both enter Saturday with plenty of uncertainties, with the battle in live action the first chance to evaluate where both groups stand heading into the summer.

On the offensive side of the battle, the Gators seemingly are yet to have a solidified starting five, with Sumrall sharing a concern with the lack of clarity and a hope that there will be separation soon.

“Man, there's a lot of guys that have impressed or flashed…I think what's unique there right now, if you said, ‘Hey, who's the starting five?’ I go, ‘Ooh, not 100% sure yet.’ What I like is we have competitive depth.” Sumrall said earlier this spring on the unit. “...I think the depth of that group is the strength of it right now, we need to see who's going to rise, who's going to elevate.”

Brendan Bett headlines Florida's interior defensive line. | Alan Youngblood / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Defensively, the unit entered spring as one of the bigger question marks on the roster after multiple departures from last year's team and not much proven production added. However, there seems to be a quiet confidence in the group after impressive camps from LJ McCray, Brendan Bett, Jeramiah McCloud and others.

In a conference where trench play is vital to success, the battle will be an extremely important storyline to monitor as both sides of the ball have a chance to prove themselves in live action.

The Quarterback Competition

The biggest storyline of spring camp so far, Florida’s quarterback competition between transfer Aaron Philo and redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. will be under the microscope on Saturday.

With reports coming from inside of the camp continuing to mention little separation between the two currently, the scrimmage will be another chance for either to gain an edge in a positional battle that will likely continue deep into the fall.

“One of them will have to be the starter for game one and they’ve got to go earn it,” Sumrall said recently on the competition. “Both (Philo and Jones) are doing a great job. They are taking roughly the same amount of reps with the ones and roughly the same amount of reps with the twos, if you want to call it that. The depth chart is very fluid…Both guys are doing some things that excite you and I feel like we could play winning football with either.”

Florida quarterbacks Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. are competing to be the team's starter. | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The two quarterbacks will be tasked with being efficient and keeping the ball out of harm's way, possibly one strong performance away from heading into the summer as the leader for the starting spot.

Adjustment to New Schemes

Both the Gators offense and defense will be under new playcallers and schemes in 2026, with the matchup Saturday the first game-like live action to test how both units have adjusted to such changes this spring.

Offensively, coordinator Buster Faulkner brings an NFL-style attack that has been described as somewhat complex. The Gators' offense is expected to look completely revamped under the former Georgia Tech playcaller, while his scheme seems to be consistently evolving as well.

“We're going to adapt to our guys," Faulkner said at the beginning of spring. "We're going to throw a lot at them here early, as much as we can, see where that kind of falls. I've got a pretty good idea of the foundation that we're going to do and what we're going to be, but we're going to do what they're really good at and try to do it a bunch of different ways."

Buster Faulkner is Florida's new offensive coordinator. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

On the defensive side of the ball, former NFL assistant and new Gators defensive coordinator Brad White brings a professional scheme as well, while the veteran coach also mentioned the possibility to adjust to Florida’s personnel if needed.

“We are a 3-4 team, no different than the Indianapolis Colts… It's way more 4-down than it is 3-4… There's 3-4 under principles, right?” the former Kentucky defensive coordinator said on his scheme. “I think we've got guys up front, and we'll see in pads. From what I've seen, what I've seen from their mentality, we'll be able to play four down and jump into three and give multiple looks.”

Both groups have spent much of the offseason going through the difficult transition into such advanced new systems, with Saturday a chance to continue to gain comfortability in the new schemes as well as introduce them to the Gators faithful.

A New Physicality

A main priority for Sumrall and staff this spring has been establishing a desired physicality that the head coach identified a lack of early on in his time at the university. After a demanding winter workout period highlighted by the Gauntlet, the coach believes the team has shown the potential to reach such physicality this spring, with Saturday a chance for Florida’s roster to really put their pads to use.

“From a physicality and toughness standpoint, a lot of work to be done,” Sumrall said after a recent Gators scrimmage. “The guys are trying. They're trying to play hard. They are. This is a league that you have to be calloused and tough to win - and that's at every level, not just at the line of scrimmage…It flashed at times, that's a positive, but it can't be in and out. You can't have lulls. So it's been some good but long way to go."

Linebacker Aaron Chiles is solidifying himself as one of Florida's most physical players. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

There will likely be no lack of fire as many suit up for their first action in front of the Gators fanbase in The Swamp, with the scrimmage a chance to highlight the type of physicality that is needed to win in the SEC and desired by the new staff.