![Florida offensive line coach Phil Trautwein is shown during spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 12, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_157,w_1996,h_1122/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/213/01kz1t8e945yh13e3k67.jpg "Florida offensive line coach Phil Trautwein is shown during spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 12, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Coming out of spring camp, the single biggest concern with Florida was their offensive line. While the roster left behind by Billy Napier for Jon Sumrall was pretty solid across the board, the cupboard was left pretty bare in the trenches. While Sumrall hired Phil Trautwein as offensive line coach and tried to grab what he could out of the transfer portal, the unit drew constant ire from Sumrall during the spring and struggled mightily in the spring game.
Heading into the season itself, the four toughest games on Florida’s schedule are Ole Miss, Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma. And according to a new list from CBS Sports, all four of those teams might have the kryptonite for Florida’s makeshift offensive line.
Florida’s offensive line to get tested in their four toughest games
The list from CBS Sports ranked the top ten best front sevens in all of college football. Those previously four mentioned teams ranked as follows:
Opponent | CBS Ranking | Game | Primary Threat |
|---|---|---|---|
Ole Miss | No. 4 | Sept. 26 in Gainesville | Interior disruption and edge speed |
Texas | No. 6 | Oct. 17 in Austin | Colin Simmons and Lance Jackson |
Georgia | No. 10 | Oct. 31 in Atlanta | Interior depth and elite linebackers |
Oklahoma | No. 1 | Nov. 7 in Gainesville | David Stone, Jayden Jackson and a deep linebacker group |
Florida has enough playmakers and enough creativity from Buster Faulkner that if the offensive line can buy any amount of time, the Gators can score points with anyone. But among the players Florida will need to find an answer for in these games are David Stone, Jayden Jackson, Will Echloes, Colin Simmons, Lance Jackson, and Elijah Griffin. Based on what we saw in the spring, all these players could have a field day against the Gators if things haven’t improved.
And in a lot of ways, Florida’s ability to find answers for these players might also tell the tale of their season. The Gators are projected by Vegas at 7.5 wins, and based upon how the SEC preseason media poll came out, Florida could very easily finish with an 8-4 record.
Most fans would probably take 8-4 right now if they were offered it, and 8-4 wouldn’t be a terrible first effort by Sumrall. But if one wants to dream of 9-3 or beyond, the Gators would have to knock off at least one of these teams. Frankly, one could argue that Sumrall should knock off at least one of these teams, especially with two of the games at home (Ole Miss and Oklahoma) along with the Georgia game still being considered a neutral site game even if it is in Atlanta.
But Florida’s ability to mitigate these front sevens is going to determine whether 9-3 or beyond is a possibility or just a pipe dream.
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