JON SUMRALL’S FIRST FALL SCRIMMAGE EXPOSES FLORIDA GATORS’ BIGGEST PRESEASON QUESTIONS

The Florida Gators are entering the most important stretch of fall camp, and Jon Sumrall’s first scrimmage revealed several issues that could shape the team’s opening weeks of the 2026 season.

Florida ran 127 plays during Saturday’s scrimmage, giving the coaching staff an extensive look at players competing for roles across the roster. While Sumrall viewed the overall performance positively, he also identified areas that need immediate improvement.

With Florida’s Sept. 5 opener against Florida Atlantic rapidly approaching, the Gators have little time to clean up their mistakes and settle some important personnel questions.

Florida’s offense still has details to clean up

The first scrimmage exposed some procedural problems that Sumrall does not want carrying into the regular season.

Florida committed three delay-of-game penalties, while two offsides penalties involved a receiver.

For a team preparing to enter game week, those mistakes are particularly frustrating because they are correctable.

Sumrall specifically pointed to the receiver-related procedure penalties as mistakes that should not happen.

The message is clear: Florida needs to become more efficient before the games begin counting.

The Gators cannot afford to repeatedly give away plays or create difficult down-and-distance situations because of avoidable penalties.

Offensive tackle remains a major question

One of the biggest personnel issues coming out of the scrimmage is still the offensive tackle position.

Sumrall has seen encouraging development from several offensive linemen, including Eagan Boyer, Emeka Ugorji and TJ Dice Jr.

Bryce Lovett has also shown considerable talent, while Caden Jones is being challenged to play with the consistency expected from an experienced player.

But talent alone will not settle Florida’s offensive line.

The Gators need players who can execute their assignments and technique consistently, particularly once they face an opposing defense.

Sumrall indicated that he has been more comfortable with the interior of the offensive line than the tackle positions.

That makes the outside spots especially important during the final weeks of camp.

If Florida cannot establish dependable tackle play, it could affect everything from pass protection to the running game.

The Gators are already preparing for game week

Florida is also changing how it prepares.

The Gators will hold another scrimmage Saturday at 7:45 p.m., matching the planned kickoff time for the Florida Atlantic opener.

The team will then begin working through a schedule designed to simulate the rhythm of an actual game week.

Florida plans to use a run-through Monday, full-gear practice Tuesday, shells Wednesday, a walk-through Thursday and another run-through Friday before a mock game Saturday.

That preparation is part of Sumrall’s effort to make sure players are comfortable with the weekly routine before the season begins.

The first game should not be the first time Florida’s players experience that process.

Injury management remains a priority

Florida also entered the scrimmage with several players dealing with injuries.

Vernell Brown III missed the scrimmage because of a bruised foot suffered Thursday but returned to practice Monday.

Jadan Baugh and Dallas Wilson were placed on pitch counts and stopped participating in the scrimmage after the break.

Other injured players mentioned by Sumrall included Kamran James, Jaylen Lloyd, Duke Clark, Kendall Guervil, Patrick Durkin, Dijon Johnson, Javion Toombs and Jordy Lowery.

The coaching staff has been cautious with those players rather than pushing them simply to gain additional camp reps.

That approach could be especially important now.

With the season opener getting closer, preserving the health of key players becomes more valuable than squeezing out a few extra practice repetitions.

Dijon Johnson’s return provides a boost

There was encouraging news in the defensive backfield.

Dijon Johnson was back at full speed during Monday’s practice and is expected to participate in Florida’s next scrimmage.

That gives the coaching staff another opportunity to evaluate him before the regular season.

Johnson’s return also comes at a useful time because Florida is still working through personnel decisions across the defense.

Meanwhile, Jordy Lowery is temporarily sidelined after suffering a soft-tissue injury during Saturday’s scrimmage.

Lowery was injured after roughly 12 or 13 plays.

Sumrall indicated that the injury is not expected to be long term, but the defensive back will have to recover before returning to action.

Florida needs better tackling in space

The Gators’ defense also has something to clean up.

Sumrall described the overall tackling as decent for a first scrimmage, but he was not completely satisfied with the performance of some defensive backs in space.

That is an area Florida will need to improve quickly.

Missed tackles can turn routine plays into explosive gains, particularly against SEC opponents with talented skill-position players.

Florida does not need perfect tackling during the first scrimmage, but the standard will rise considerably once the season begins.

Sumrall still wants to discover Florida’s identity

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the scrimmage is that Florida is still determining exactly what its final identity will look like.

That is not necessarily a negative.

Fall camp exists partly to answer those questions.

But the timeline is becoming increasingly important.

Florida needs to move from experimentation toward consistency. Players competing for starting roles need to separate themselves, while the coaching staff needs to determine which combinations give the team its best chance to succeed.

The offensive tackle battle may be one of the clearest examples.

The Gators have shown enough individual talent to create optimism, but the next step is turning that talent into reliable execution.

The next scrimmage could reveal more than the first

Florida’s next scrimmage will provide another important checkpoint.

The coaching staff will be looking for fewer procedural mistakes, cleaner tackling and continued progress along the offensive line.

It will also offer injured players an opportunity to move closer to full participation, depending on their recovery.

For Sumrall, the objective is not simply to get through camp.

He needs to have Florida prepared to operate efficiently when Florida Atlantic arrives Sept. 5.

The first scrimmage showed that the Gators have plenty to like, but it also made clear that several questions remain unanswered.

With the opener approaching, Jon Sumrall’s first fall scrimmage has exposed Florida Gators’ biggest preseason questions at exactly the point when the answers need to start becoming clear.