Which True Freshmen Could Play for Florida Against FAU?

Florida had three true freshmen listed on its two-deep depth chart for Saturday's game against FAU.

Florida had three true freshmen listed on its two-deep depth chart for Saturday's game against FAU. | Courtesy of UAA Communications

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators released its two-deep depth chart for Saturday's season opener against FAU. While the bulk of the chart is not surprising, given the returning production and head coach Jon Sumrall's previous announcement naming Aaron Philo as the starting quarterback and the starting offensive line, the chart revealed some interesting details about the Gators' depth.

This includes the fact that just three true freshmen are listed on the two-deep depth chart: jack linebacker KJ Ford as a co-backup behind Jayden Woods, Heze Kent as the Y tight end behind Lacota Dippre and snapper Lincoln Anderson listed as the backup long snapper to Carter Milliron as well as the starting short snapper ahead of Milliron.

Ford's standing is not surprising. One of the Gators' top recruits in the 2026 recruiting class, the former four-star has been raved about during his first offseason in Gainesville as he competed with veteran Kofi Asare to be Woods' immediate backup. He is listed as an "or" alongside Asare.

Sumrall admitted that after having a strong performance in spring camp, Ford "hit a little bit of a wall" early in fall camp but responded well as camp concluded.

"I think sometimes as a freshman, you hit a wall, and KJ hit a little bit of a wall maybe early in training camp and responded the last week of training camp, which I was pleased with," he said. "There's a lot of guys who helped themselves. We are going to play the players we trust. And so there's not going to be a ton of them right of the gate playing. There's a few. KJ will play Saturday night, I think."

Florida Gators outside linebacker KJ Ford. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Meanwhile, Kent's fast rise has been a pleasant surprise.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds entering spring camp, Kent battled through getting in shape and losing weight to play tight end, all while battling outside noise that called for him to play tackle. Instead, Kent went to work and lost 30 pounds of fat mass before fall camp commenced last month. His ball skills have also been well-documented, with Sumrall saying during camp that the former four-star may have the best on the team.

On Monday, the praise grew with Sumrall adding that he has made "as much improvement for a freshman as anybody" on the team since arriving on campus.

"In January, I would have told you there's a low-percentage chance Heze Kent was gonna be ready to compete and play this year," Sumrall admitted on Monday. "Then through the summer, I'm like, 'Okay, this guy's got a shot.' And then in training camp, he just got better."

Anderson, meanwhile, is the lone true freshman listed on Florida's specialist depth chart. Hailing from Hoover, Alabama, the former 4.5-star on Kohl's Kicking joined the team ahead of fall camp.

While these are the only three true freshmen listed on the Gators' depth chart, Sumrall admitted that they may not be the only ones who play on Saturday against the Owls. Corner CJ Bronaugh, for example, is not listed on the depth chart but could see snaps after a flashy fall camp.

The former four-star battled injuries in spring camp that ultimately held him back but was a bright spot as he pushed to be a depth piece during fall camp.

"CJ was out during the spring, but when he's been available, he's flashed as a player that I think has a high ceiling and just really good potential," Sumrall said. "He was probably just a little bit behind because he was out all spring. Had he been available all spring I think he'd probably would be closer to prime time action in regards to where the depth chart sits."

Florida freshman tight end Heze Kent lost considerable weight from spring to fall as he approaches his first season with the Gators. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Other freshmen to keep an eye on are receivers Justin Williams and Davian Groce, who both pushed to be depth pieces at receiver and could have roles on special teams.

"I want to play as many freshmen as are ready to play," Sumrall said. "I think you'll see some of them that maybe aren't on the two-deep elevate as the year goes, and then there are others that will have big special teams roles."

Kickoff between Florida and Florida Atlantic on Saturday is at 7:45 p.m. Television coverage can be found on SEC Network.

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