Despite Jon Sumrall’s arrival, elite departures and DJ Lagway’s transfer have critics questioning the Florida Gators' depth as they face a grueling SEC schedule with major quarterback uncertainty.
The Florida Gators needed to shake things up when they decided to part ways with Billy Napier.
Napier never got the Gators to play consistently at a high level, and the losses continued to pile up last season.
New head coach Jon Sumrall has a history of winning, and most recently brought Tulane to the College Football Playoff in December. He'll face challenges to get the Gators into the CFP conversation this season, but there is reason to hope the program goes bowling after a 4-8 record in 2025.
But not everything looks good in Gainesville.
ESPN's Eli Lederman, Max Olson, and Adam Rittenberg recently ranked the Gators as having the No. 11 offseason in the SEC. Florida is losing a lot of critical talent from last season.
More importantly, DJ Lagway's transfer from UF to Baylor could put Sumrall behind. Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. lack the skill Lagway has.
"Florida lost a number of last season's roster to eligibility and/or the NFL draft, including seven draft picks," they wrote. "But several others, including tight end Hayden Hansen and starting defensive backs Jordan Castell and Sharif Denson opted to head elsewhere via the transfer portal ahead of Sumrall's debut season.
"Lagway's departure for Baylor marked a disappointing but expected outcome to the former five-star passer's two years with the program. More troublesome, potentially, is the lack of starting experience the Gators have to replace Lagway in 2026 between Philo, a Georgia Tech transfer, and second-year passer Tramell Jones Jr., leaving a major question hovering over an otherwise talented offense."
During spring football, Sumrall tried to downplay the importance of the quarterback battle this spring. He was trying to get the entire roster to play with more physicality and aggressiveness.
While that's all fine and dandy, Florida will need Philo or Jones to take the job and lead the offense if they want to make a serious dent in the nine-game SEC schedule.
The offensive line is another worry, and one that Sumrall isn't sure what starting five he wants to protect Philo or Jones. Florida could be in a for a serious learning curve to start the season.