One of the more intriguing players on Florida’s roster is wide receiver TJ Abrams. He was a lower-tier four-star prospect in the class of 2024 who started to work his way into the rotation last season. Abrams finished 2025 with 13 catches for 201 yards, but also had a brutal drop in the Georgia game.
Heading into the 2026 season, Abrams has been forgotten a bit by fans as Florida’s starting trio seems intact, and the Gators also brought in some transfers who shined in the spring game, including Micah Mays.
What makes Abrams even more intriguing is that he fits the profile of a player who easily could have transferred after the season. But he has opted to stick around and on Monday he was able to provide an interesting juxtaposition to this year’s team compared to last.
TJ Abrams wants the Gator standard to return
During his media session on Tuesday, Abrams talked about his own decision to stay in Gainesville and how important it was for him to keep being a Gator. Abrams stated “The Gator name brings more than NIL can bring at the end of the day”
He was later asked about the vibe and intensity of camp was. As someone who is now in his third fall camp with Florida, Abrams gave an interesting perspective of how things are going:
“It's crazy, man. The players want more than the coaches want it. You know what I'm saying? Like, the coaches want to be the best we can, but you feel it a lot with the players. It's just like they don't want to be 4-8 anymore; the guys that did end up staying. So that's kind of where we set the tone. Like, we can't do 4-8 no more. We've got to get Florida back to what it used to be.”
It’s interesting because LJ McCray commented on how “loud” Sumrall was and the intensity that Sumrall has brought to the program. For Abrams to claim the “players want it more than the coaches,” when Sumrall himself has commented on how much he hates losing and has joked about some things he would do if Florida didn’t make a bowl in 2026, speaks volumes about Florida’s motivation levels for 2026.
The words only matter if Florida proves them on Saturdays
Now, the word of caution with a quote like this is that we would hope no one likes going 4-8, and we have heard this type of commentary before. Graham Mertz stated ahead of the 2024 season, “We're not out to prove the haters wrong, we're out to prove each other right.”
Then Florida played Miami, and it turned out the haters were right.
The difference is that players like Abrams, Dallas Wilson, and Vernell Brown III had no obligation to stay once Napier was fired. They could have hit the portal, and no one would have held it against them.
It feeds into the hope that this crop of Florida players is genuinely excited about winning for the Gator logo. If Abrams' description of fall camp is accurate, the ceiling for the 2026 Florida Gators might be higher than others want to believe.
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