![Florida head coach Kevin OÕSullivan before the matchup with Alabama. The Gators came back from being down 5-0 to beat Alabama 7-6, Friday, May 15, 2025, at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun] 2025](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_4601,h_2588/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kh9gprt2ghc3p36a67.jpg "Florida head coach Kevin OÕSullivan before the matchup with Alabama. The Gators came back from being down 5-0 to beat Alabama 7-6, Friday, May 15, 2025, at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun] 2025")
Coming into the 2026 season, we knew that Liam Peterson and Aidan King were going to be the 1-2 punch for Florida’s starting rotation for weekend series. Peterson is a potential 1st round draft pick this summer, and King might not be far behind next summer when he becomes draft eligible in 2027.
But there was a key piece of the puzzle for Kevin O’Sullivan to figure out, and it was who was going to be his third weekend starter for now. After improvements in the offseason, a key transfer pickup is going to get the first crack at being the Sunday starter for the Gators in 2026.
Cooper Walls is named Florida’s 3rd starter for 2026
Florida announced on social media that Cooper Walls is going to be the Sunday starter for this weekend against UAB. Walls wasn’t the favorite to be the Sunday starter when he transferred in from Hawaii, but a huge offseason has propelled him into the role.
Walls was the Big West Freshman of the Year in 2025. He made 13 starts and had a 3.73 ERA with a 3-3 record. Perhaps most important to O’Sullivan is the fact that Walls only walked 15 batters over 60.1 innings of work in 2025.
When he transferred to Florida, he wasn’t seen as the shoo-in favorite to be the Sunday starter, as Florida had also grabbed Russell Sandefer from UCF and also had Luke McNeillie returning to be in the mix, but a leap in fastball velocity over the offseason helped Walls land the starting job.
As we know from last year, getting the nod on opening weekend does not guarantee Walls will keep the spot all season long. Last year, King was not a starter out of the gate but worked his way into the rotation.
Florida is hoping for a bounce-back year in 2026 after a disastrous start to their SEC campaign in 2025 when Florida fell to 1-11 in conference play. A furious finish helped Florida finish SEC play 15-15, but the Gators lost twice to ECU in the NCAA Tournament and were eliminated in the Regional round.
First pitch on Friday, with Peterson on the hill, is slated for 6:30.