Under clear blue skies, a breath of fresh air returned Saturday, April 11 to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for Florida football’s annual Orange and Blue spring game.
Sure, the game didn’t matter and was scored with a wacky new gimmick that gave the defense points for a missed field goal. But that didn’t stop the 47,100 Florida fanatics from feeling the winds of change in the first showing of the Jon Sumrall era.
That aura was backed up on the field.
Before the game, former Florida punter Johnny Townsend said at his tailgate that he wanted to see an exciting game, and he got his wish as the Gator offense, under new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, looked explosive — especially at wide receiver.
Wake Forest transfer Micah Mays Jr. broke out with four catches for 122 yards and a touchdown, while Auburn transfer Eric Singleton led the squad in catches with six for 92 yards and a touchdown of his own.
“It was a great feeling. Just want to be really explosive, really electric out there,” Mays said. “I just want to keep going and continue into the fall.”
All this came without the services of Dallas Wilson, who missed most of spring practice and the game Saturday. Sumrall said that if this was the regular season, Wilson would have played, but the coach chose to be cautious. The redshirt freshman still clocked 21.5 MPH running at practice Thursday.
“I think when we get him back, you add him to the equation in our receiver room, you go five, six deep. It’s a really good room. We need 7, 8, 9 to continue to grow, too,” Sumrall said. “But you talk about VB (Vernell Brown III) and Singleton and Dallas and Bailey (Stockton) and Micah and TJ Abrams. It’s, like, OK, we might look pretty good out there.”
The running backs stayed mostly quiet on the stat sheet, but Faulkner said the room remains dynamic, led by Jadan Baugh, the Gators best offensive player and one of the top backs in the country.
“I think it’s a really deep room. I think we got some guys with some different skill sets. You could see some two back stuff maybe down the road,” Faulkner said. “Obviously, Jadan was kind of on a pitch count. We wanted to see what some other guys would do. But I was impressed with them as well.”
All in all, it was a welcome change from last season when UF averaged just 16 points per game vs. FBS opponents.
Jack Busby, a former season ticket holder, mentioned Khalil Jackson. The receiver earned a seventh year of eligibility in the offseason, and to Busby, it shows their depth if he isn’t seeing the field.
“They got some heck of a receivers if he isn’t seeing the field because he’s a good receiver,” Busby said.
For Busby and many other fans, the success of the offense comes down to the offensive line. Florida lost three of five O-Lineman last season, and Sumrall’s talked ad nauseum about how the reconstructed unit needs to get tougher.
“We got the (Phil) Trautwein hire, which was the best hire we’ve made,” Busby said. “He’s going to make a difference, but it’s going to take some time.”
With an SEC schedule that includes three College Football Playoff teams (Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Georgia) and two near ones (Vanderbilt and Texas), Busby thinks seven wins is a realistic goal.
Freshman student Kyle O’Rourke expects around six to seven wins, but his goals are higher for when he graduates. He yearns for a national championship by the 2028 season.
“If Indiana can do it, why can’t we?” O’Rourke said.
O’Rourke never took a seat on the Lane Kiffin train and believes Scott Stricklin picked the right man in Sumrall with an energy and toughness level Billy Napier couldn’t match.
“He’s disciplined. Wants the guys to work hard, earn it,” he said. “The energy he brings is kind of fire.”
He wants the same vigor for the offense and took a jab at Napier and his “favorite play call.”
“I want deep passes, crazy plays,” O’Rourke said, “I’m all for a screen pass here and there, but every play, it’s too much. I don’t want that.”
For now, fans will hope and pray for that in the next 147 days before the Gators officially take the Swamp for real vs. Florida Atlantic on September 5.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football fans feel winds of change in Orange and Blue game
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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