Spring football is right around the corner and when the Gators camp begins on March 3rd there are a lot of things that new coach Jon Sumrall will be looking for. Florida brought in nearly 30 transfers and most of them will be right in the thick of the competition to be on the two-deep roster.Â
Here are four players that will enter camp with high expectations and need to establish themselves as guys that Sumrall can count on in the 2026 season:
Aaron Philo, QB (Georgia Tech)
There were a lot of directions Florida could have gone with the quarterback position this offseason and Sumrall decided to let DJ Lagway walk and bring in Philo, who has two years of experience in Buster Faulkner's offense. Philo spent those years as a backup, but when he did get the opportunity to play, he showed enough promise to where the Yellow Jackets had him penciled in as the 2026 starter before Faulkner left. He has the inside track to starting for the Gators and will get every opportunity to win the job, but Tramell Jones promises he won't make it easy, so Philo has to separate himself this spring.Â
Evan Pryor, RB (Cincinnati/Ohio State)
Pryor was a big-time prospect in his day and signed with Ohio State coming out of high school. He transferred to Cincinnati in 2024 and found his calling in the Bearcats' rotation as the speed back. Now he's going to try to infuse his skills in the Gators offense, supporting primary back Jadan Baugh. Pryor is a good receiver out of the backfield with 25 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns while with the Bearcats and a home-run hitter, as evidenced by his 7.1 yards per carry average over the two seasons.Â
Luke Harpring, TE (Georgia Tech)
Harpring, like many of the Yellow Jackets that followed Faulkner, still has a few years of eligibility remaining and is expected to take another step forward. He had 13 catches for 158 yards last season and Harpring's familiarity with Faulkner's scheme should give him a leg up.
Mason Clinton, DL (Southern Miss)
The key to success for Sumrall in year one is going to be establishing tough, physical play on the lines and adding a player like Clinton in the middle will do wonders for depth and hopefully provide a challenge to projected starter Jamari Lyons for snaps on the interior. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Clinton had 16 tackles with 1.5 TFLs with the Golden Eagles in 2025, and he has to show this spring that he's deserving of a spot in the primary rotation.