Florida’s spring game just exposed a portal gem hiding in plain sight

When Jon Sumrall hit the transfer portal to round out Florida’s roster ahead of the 2026 season, the wide receiver room got a massive boost when the Gators landed Eric Singleton from Auburn. Singleton had previously played with new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner at Georgia Tech. The Gators also picked up Bailey Stockton, another Georgia Tech transfer. Most figured those would be the guys to pair up with Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson once the season began for real in the fall.

But it’s been another ACC transfer who was seemingly an afterthought when it was first announced he was coming to Gainesville who has turned heads all spring and who formally broke out in front of Gator fans during the spring game on Saturday.

Micah Mays Jr. has a massive spring game

When Micah Mays Jr. transferred in from Wake Forest, the response from most Gator fans was “Meh.” Mays Jr. was coming off an 18-catch season for 302 yards with Wake Forest, and he was just a mid-tier three-star himself coming out of high school.

But all spring camp, his name kept popping up as he took advantage of the reps made available due to the injury to Dallas Wilson, and on Saturday, he showcased why Florida might have found a diamond in the rough.

Mays Jr. had four catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. His big highlight came on a 75-yard touchdown off a beautiful double move that left him wide open down the field.

Afterward, Sumrall had nothing but praise for Mays. Jr.:

“Yeah, he's flashed. In particular, making plays down the field or getting the ball in hand-type plays when he's on the move as a route runner. He's been explosive. He tracks it well. He catches it clean. I've challenged him to play with a little bit more edge and physicality. 

That's been the biggest challenge I've put on him, is like, hey, it's not OK to just be like a guy that just catches the football. You've got to do the dirty work, too. And so he's grown in that area. He's got to continue to grow. 

But really excited about having him on this roster. For him and Bailey (Stockton) to both come when there's a lot of known good players in that room, I got a lot of respect for their confidence in themselves to come in and compete and not back down from the competition.” 

Obviously, for Mays Jr. to have a good day, it meant Florida’s secondary didn’t have a great day containing him, but what makes his day on Saturday feel translatable to Saturdays this fall is that he looked smooth, he looked explosive, and he looked comfortable in the offense as a whole.

And if Mays Jr. continues to progress and is a rotational piece for Florida in 2026, the Gators might wind up with one of the top wide receiver groups in the SEC.

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