Who Stood Out After Week One of Gators 2026 Spring Camp

Week One of the Florida Gators' spring camp officially kicked off the Jon Sumrall era in Gainesville, with over 50 new faces taking the practice field for the first time in the Orange and Blue under an almost completely new staff.

While just three practices in, two of which the media was invited to view 40 minutes of, here are a couple of names that have started to stand out to Florida Gators On SI.

WR Eric Singleton Jr.

Eric Singleton Jr. transferred to Florida after stints at Georgia Tech and Auburn. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Once a standout under new Gators offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner at Georgia Tech, Auburn transfer Eric Singleton Jr. has looked as advertised in his first week in Gainesville. His explosive speed has been more impressive than many inside the facility have seen recently at Florida. At the same time, his experience has shown up in his route-running prowess and ability to re-establish himself in Faulkner’s offense.

“One thing about Eric is he's an explosive, fast guy. He's always one of the smartest football players that I've ever been around,” Faulkner said on the wideout. “He came in as a true freshman, got there in June when we had a chance to coach him a few years back, and he learned the offense, and this is not an easy offense to learn, as far as terminology goes, and all the different positions that you got to be able to play in. It's like he never left, and I don't think he's had a (missed assignment) yet.”

Eric Singleton(extremely fast), Davian Groce and Ace Ciongoli through drills. #Gators pic.twitter.com/ZO7tUUnelM
— Dylan Olive (@DylanOlive_UF) March 5, 2026

The senior was recorded at 23 miles per hour this offseason and looks headed for an extremely exciting first year with the Gators, as he hopes to boost his NFL draft stock.

DL Joseph Mbatchou

Joseph Mbatchou gained 23 pounds after his freshman season with the Gators. | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Second-year defensive tackle Joseph Mbatchou entered spring with the most noticeable body transformation of any returning Gator, seeing his already impressive 6-foot-5 and 300-pound frame as a true freshman jump 23 pounds to 323 on Florida’s official roster. Looking to add much-needed depth to Florida’s nose position, the physical standout has all the potential to be a breakout player in 2026 after a strong offseason.

“He has elite traits: size, ability, winning at the point of attack, block destruction. He’s a hard worker, comes from a really good family background. That’s part of the reason why he’s a really good kid and understands hard work,” position coach Gerald Chatman said this winter. “... For him to be able to do what he did as a true freshman, only his second year of playing football, for him to be able to come into this league and play and contribute with that experience, his ceiling is really high.”

#Gators DL

(97 Joseph Mbatchou is way bigger than last season) pic.twitter.com/vWhhpKFAbl
— Cam Parker (@camparker25) March 3, 2026

While Mbatchou did limp off the practice field on Thursday, his body transformation has made him a standout this spring and hard to miss on the football field so far.

WR Bailey Stockton

Receiver Bailey Stockton arrived at Florida as a transfer from Georgia Tech. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

A rather underrated transfer addition from Georgia Tech, wide receiver Bailey Stockton’s surprising athleticism has been transparent so far through one week of camp.

The primarily slot wideout’s previous production doesn't jump off the page after working behind one of the Yellow Jacket’s all-time leading receivers, Malik Rutherford, the past two seasons, yet he has looked like one of the more explosive wideouts in an extremely deep and talented room this spring.

“He's very fluid, he's fast, he's quick. You notice in those guys when Whitt was doing an offseason program, on Mondays, they do a speed school, and then Wednesday and Friday was the Gauntlet. On Mondays, he was winning all these effort spreads, change of directions," special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante said. "Elite… he's mature, but he's quick. He can change direction and bend.”

More Tramell Jones to Bailey Stockton. #Gators pic.twitter.com/CS5sBRKXv8
— Dylan Olive (@DylanOlive_UF) March 3, 2026

Stockton has a long-time connection with potential Gators starter Aaron Philo, while he looks like a player that will be hard to keep off the field in 2026 in camp as of now after a really strong winter as well.

QB Tramell Jones Jr.

Tramell Jones Jr. returns to Florida after being the Gators' backup last season. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

At the start of what is expected to be a lengthy battle for the starting quarterback position, Tramell Jones enters year two at Florida looking improved. The ball has jumped out of his hand so far this spring, and the redshirt freshman’s development has been noticeable from a year ago.

“Tramell is my guy, you know, he's a great guy. He's making strides,” Vernell Brown III said this spring. “But, like, we do have a really good quarterback room, so, I mean, all those guys are good players, and excited to see it.”

Tramell on the run again. #Gators pic.twitter.com/hv9cAZ2vEF
— Dylan Olive (@DylanOlive_UF) March 5, 2026

While both Jones and Philo have looked excellent early on, Jones’ transformation from his first year in Gainesville has been exciting and the young gunslinger has quickly silenced any idea that the competition for the starting spot was not a true one.

Gators 2026 Spring Camp

Florida’s spring practices will resume Tuesday, with the bevy of new and returning talent working to earn roles in 2026 and the roster standouts becoming clearer as more reps are taken. Florida Gators on SI will be in attendance, with more on the practices found here.