![Florida safety Lagonza Hayward (2) drops Campbell wide receiver Barry Tate (3) during the second half of an NCAA football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Florida won 52-3[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_3000,h_1687/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/213/01m5d515d00y3fdddh4k.jpg "Florida safety Lagonza Hayward (2) drops Campbell wide receiver Barry Tate (3) during the second half of an NCAA football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Florida won 52-3[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Florida enters the bye week 5-2, and for the most part, we haven’t seen too many wholesale changes with the depth chart compared to what we saw in week one against FAU.
But there are some players we have caught enough of a glimpse of that we would like to see abit more than some others. These are three players we would like to see get an increased snap count when Florida comes out of their bye week.
3 players who should get increased snaps after Florida’s bye week
Ty Jackson
Prior to Saturday, Ty Jackson was mainly an unknown to Florida fans. He took seven defensive snaps as a true freshman and had 26 snaps on defense prior to Saturday. But Sumrall noted that he was looking for some intensity on defense, and Jackson was just the man for the job against Texas.
Jackson took just 14 snaps against Texas, but he was a heat-seeking missile during those snaps. It’s in line with what we said about Jackson when he first committed to Florida back in 2024:
“Jackson will hit you, and he will hit you hard. If ESPN was still doing their Jacked Up segment, Jackson would have gotten a spot on it. He seriously looks like he ragdolls ball carriers into oblivion, and there has probably been a time or two when opposing running backs have said 'I need a rest, coach.'
But Jackson can drop into coverage too and pick the ball off, which is why he will make for an intriguing prospect once he gets his size up to SEC level.”
Caden Jones
Against Texas, Florida opted not to rotate their tackles and so Caden Jones didn’t see the field. Emeka Ugorji took all 82 snaps at right tackle, and while he was a tick better than he was against South Carolina, he wasn’t exactly a brick wall and needed a ton of help from Florida’s tight ends to chip.
This isn’t to say Jones is leaps and bounds better than Ugorji, but it’s more a broader point: if Florida wants to finish the season strong, it needs a more stable solution at right tackle.
Lagonza Hayward
The STAR spot has been another weak spot for Florida this year, and starter Kanye Clark hasn’t exactly done enough to have his position on lock. Even against Texas, Clark was targeted four times, and he gave up a reception on all four attempts. The long 4th-down pass came with Clark in coverage, and while Florida sent a blitz and left him on an island, it was emblematic of his struggles in a one-on-one.
Much like at right tackle, it’s not as if Lagonza Hayward has been a can’t-miss player himself, but he does seem to be more consistent when he is in that game, and he has a bit more playmaking ability to disrupt things than Clark.
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