The No. 21 Gators (24-8, 7-4 SEC) are 7-0 against ranked opponents, but have seen all eight of their losses come against unranked opposition. The biggest question entering the series is which Florida team fans will see — but they had to wait to find out Friday.

Lightning in the area delayed the game for two hours. During the delay, Florida’s leading hitter, Brendan Lawson, was taken out of the lineup. Just before the 8:32 p.m. first pitch at Condron Family Ballpark, a new lineup showed Sam Miller at third base and Kolt Myers sliding over to shortstop.

“Brendan took BP (batting practice), seemed fine, followed back up and he did not feel good,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We’re never going to put anyone out there that doesn’t feel 100%.” 

Aidan King began the game for Florida like a pitcher who sat through a two-hour delay, as his second pitch sailed over the catcher’s head. Another wild pitch to the next batter put a runner on second with no outs in the first inning.

However, King found his zone to strike out the next three batters to end the inning to the applause of the 5,911 fans who stayed — still unsure of what Florida team to expect.

Florida needed a fast start after trailing 5-1 heading into the home half of the fifth inning in Thursday’s 6-4 loss, and early on, it got the opportunity Friday. In the first inning, the Gators loaded the bases with two outs, with designated hitter Cole Stanford working a 2-2 count.

But a familiar result followed. Stanford struck out swinging to end the inning. Half the stadium groaned, while the other half exhaled — expecting the outcome.

That moment reinforces how important it is for Florida to capitalize with runners on base, especially with southpaw Hunter Elliott on the mound.

Like Florida, Elliott showed flashes of dominance mixed with inconsistency. He entered the game 3-0 with a 3.72 ERA and leads the team with 51 strikeouts but also 22 walks.

The deadlock broke in the third inning. Cade Kurland hit an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead before Jacob Kendall walked with the bases loaded to make it 2-0.

But again, the good comes with the bad. For the second time in the game, a Florida batter struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Elliott finished four innings, allowing four hits and two runs while walking four and striking out nine.

Even so, Florida begins to show the energy it has been lacking this season. 

Blake Cyr put his body on the line by crashing into the wall to secure a catch and deny extra bases in the seventh.

King pointed toward the Ole Miss dugout after his eighth strikeout ended the seventh inning, and the Florida bench erupted on every strikeout and hit, trying to stay contained in the dugout. King (4-2) pitched a season-high seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out eight against zero walks to lower his ERA to 1.62 on the season.

“It was a performance we needed to have, he was outstanding,” O’Sullivan said about King’s performance. 

It’s was a display of grit, determination and confidence that Florida fans aren’t used to seeing against unranked teams. Still, the Gators didn’t avoid late-game pressure.

Enter Jackson Barberi, last week’s Co-SEC Pitcher of the Week. With runners on first and second and one out in the eighth, the ballpark fell silent. First baseman Will Furniss stepped to the plate for the Rebels. After striking out earlier against King, he mouthed obscenities toward the right-hander on his way back to the dugout. 

The tension built, but Florida responded.

Furniss grounded into the first double play of the game, ending the inning and the Rebels’ chance at a comeback. 

Reliever Joshua Whritenour closed out the game after entering with one out and one on in the ninth to complete the nation-leading seventh shutout of the season for the UF pitching staff and earn his fifth save.

One game won’t change Florida’s issue. The Gators have made a habit of performing well on select days, but the question remains whether they can sustain it.

The real answer may come in the series finale, which begins Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network+, 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF), when Florida right-hander Russell Sandefer (2-1, 4.24 ERA) faces Ole Miss right-hander Cade Townsend (2-1, 1.90).

“This is an important game, this is an important series,” O’Sullivan said. “You’re playing at home, you have to take care of your business, it doesn’t get any easier.”

Kenleigh Cahalan had other plans at Friday’s series opener at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The senior blasted a ball out to right field, leaving no doubt about it. The two-run homer was Florida’s (35-4, 10-3 SEC) only hit of the night and was all it needed. 

No. 5 Florida got an unprecedented 2-0 win against No. 13 Mississppi State in a matchup that was delayed two hours by the weather and saw the return of a Gator great.

Ace pitcher Keagan Rothrock has seen heavy playing time in the first half of SEC play. Rothrock (18-4) pitched her fourth complete game shutout of 2026, allowing five hits with four strikeouts in seven innings.

Lightning in the area delayed the first pitch in the series opener from the 6 p.m. scheduled start to 8:10 p.m. 

Mississippi State (32-8, 4-6) made the most of the delay, coming out ready to deal with hot Gator bats. Florida had no answer for Goold, one of the top pitchers in the SEC, as it went 1-2-3 in three of the first four innings.

The Gators defense continued to shine as well, an unusual 5-2-3 double play got Florida out of a bases-loaded jam in the first.

Heading into the sixth inning, Goold seemed to be locking up the Gators and looked to be the first pitcher to no-hit Florida in the modern era. Cahalan’s two-run moonshot, her 14th of the season, flipped the script at KSP and brought the loyal fans remaining to their feet.

Nobody was prepared for what was to follow as junior two-way star Ava Brown made her long awaited return. The pitcher/first baseman went down with an undisclosed injury in a win against Cal on Feb. 26. 

Brown pinch hit for Kendall Grover in the next at-bat after Cahalan’s homer, and KSP could not believe it. The junior was deemed by most to be out for the season and her return brought tears to some fans in the stands. 

Behind Cahalan’s homer and the emotion from Brown’s return, Rothrock and the Gators were able to close the Bulldogs out in the seventh to win the opening match of a heated top-25 series.

Following a short turnaround full of drama, both teams will be back in action Saturday at 1 p.m. (SEC Network+)

Early offseason speculation tying Golden to the Arizona basketball job, due to his childhood fandom hailing from Phoenix, has cooled with current Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd turning down the UNC job and re-signing in Tuscon. So attention has quickly shifted elsewhere, this time to North Carolina. 

The Tarheels are searching for a new head coach following the dismissal of Hubert Davis after five seasons, opening the door for what many expect to be a national search that’ll include a number of high-profile names. 

Golden, fresh off a national championship and consecutive No. 1 seeds with Florida has emerged as a possible target. 

Golden’s Rising Profile

At just 40 years old, Golden has rapidly built one of the most impressive resumes in college basketball. His success in Gainesville, including an SEC title and national championship, has made him an option for a UNC program looking for a reset. 

Programs like North Carolina rarely look outside their traditional coaching and player family, but recent struggles could push the Tarheels toward a high profile hire. 

Golden fits that mold.

Why UNC Makes Sense 

North Carolina remains one of the sport’s most historic programs, with multiple national championships and a long list of legendary coaches. 

The program’s combination of tradition, recruiting power and national exposure makes it one of the premier jobs in college basketball. With top-tier NIL resources and a strong brand, UNC could present a compelling opportunity for any coach. 

Still, hiring Golden would come at a significant cost. 

His contract with Florida includes a buyout of approximately $16 million before mid-April, along with a salary that already ranks among the highest in the country. He could be due for another contract boost, so any move would require a major financial commitment from North Carolina. 

Florida Position 

Despite the growing speculation, Florida leadership has remained firm in its stance. 

Athletic director Scott Stricklin has publicly expressed confidence that Golden will remain in Gainesville long-term, which reflects similar statements made during previous coaching rumors. 

Golden has also received multiple contract extensions in recent years, signaling the university’s commitment to keeping him in charge of the program. 

What Comes Next

With the transfer portal opening soon and the offseason already underway, timing will play a critical role in any potential move.

For now, the noise surrounding Golden continues, even after Lloyd’s decision, but until anything materializes, Florida appears positioned to retain one of the honest coaches in college basketball. 

The University of Florida is exploring a multi-phase renovation plan designed to modernize the stadium while keeping its signature game-day energy intact. For decades, The Swamp has been one of college football’s most recognizable and hostile environments, and any change to it is bound to draw strong opinions from the people who fill its stands every Saturday.

School officials say the focus is on upgrading the fan experience in ways that reflect the demands of modern venues. Proposed improvements include wider concourses to ease congestion, upgraded concessions to reduce long wait times and renovated restrooms. There’s also discussion of adding shaded seating and premium viewing areas. To guide the process, the university has turned directly to fans, distributing surveys that ask detailed questions about seating preferences, amenities and how much change supporters are willing to accept.

For many students and Gainesville residents, the idea of upgrades is long overdue. Packed walkways and slow-moving concession lines have become a routine frustration on game days. Early-season heat is another major concern, with temperatures often making the experience physically draining, especially for students in the sun-exposed sections. Many fans have said that if renovations can make attending games more comfortable and efficient without sacrificing the intensity of the environment, the project would be a welcome improvement.

But outside of those practical concerns, a louder debate has taken shape, particularly on social media. On platforms like X, many fans have pushed back against reports that the renovation could reduce capacity by around 5,000 seats, including portions of student seating. For a stadium defined by its volume and crowd density, fewer seats raises questions about whether the atmosphere could be softened. Others worry that the tradeoff could benefit higher-paying spectators at the expense of the typical fan base.

That concern is closely tied to the potential expansion of premium seating, like club sections and luxury boxes. Social media critics argue that prioritizing these features could shift the stadium’s identity away from its student-driven energy and toward a more corporate feel. There’s also unease about rising ticket prices and whether long-standing traditions could be altered in the process.

The scale of the project has also prompted concern, with early estimates placing the cost at $398.5 million, though details are still being finalized. University officials have emphasized that maintaining the stadium’s capacity and competitive edge remain a priority.

Yet in Gainesville, the message is clear. Fans are open to improvements, but they are protective of what makes The Swamp special. Modernize it, make it more comfortable, and fix the flaws — but don’t take away the crowd that gives it life.

This was the No. 3 Gators’ fourth straight team score above a 198, and they did so in dominant fashion in the Desert Financial Arena.

Senior Selena Harris-Miranda, Florida’s sole all-arounder for Thursday night, secured the Tempe (Ariz.) Regional all-around title with a 39.825, including a 9.975 on both vault and bars.

“I’m just super proud that we came out here and just were free and relaxed, and we did everything that we talked about during the bye week,” Harris-Miranda said. “We’re ready to bring that into day two.”

While Harris-Miranda came close to another perfect mark in her career, sophomore Skye Blakely was able to notch her second-career perfect 10, her first on bars, the event she specialized in while recovering from an Achilles injury last year.

After showing inconsistency on vault all season, Florida was able to put it together for a season-high by more than a tenth (49.6). No Gator scored below a 9.875, and Harris-Miranda topped it off with a 9.975, the best of her final season.

Following a 49.8 on bars to secure an SEC Championship, the Gators responded with a 49.625 in Tempe. On top of Blakely’s perfect and Harris-Miranda’s near-perfect scores, fifth-year Riley McCusker wrapped up the rotation with a 9.925.

Florida held nearly a one-point lead over California, which sat in second place, halfway through.

The Gators, the No. 1 beam team in the country, scored lower than in recent weeks, posting a 49.45 that included a Harris-Miranda 9.95. Regardless, the Gators expanded their lead, while the Golden Bears had a more clear shot at advancing to the third round.

The Gators finished the night with a 49.5 performance on floor, highlighted by freshman Amelia Disidore and Blakely’s 9.9s before Harris-Miranda scored a 9.925.

With the top two from each regional semifinal advancing, Florida and California take on No. 6 Georgia and No. 11 Michigan State on Saturday at 8 p.m. (ESPN+ ) for a chance at the NCAA Championship semifinal on April 16.

Tempe Regional Individual Winners

Vault – Nikki Smith (Michigan State) – 10.0

Bars – Skye Blakely (Florida) – 10.0

Beam – Selena Harris-Miranda (Florida) – 9.95

Floor – Aquino and Tomlin (Georgia) and Nikki Smith and Ortiz (Michigan State) – 9.95

All-Around: Selena Harris-Miranda (Florida) – 39.825

No. 21 Florida baseball (23-8, 6-4 SEC) lost another game to an unranked team, Ole Miss, 6-4, at Condron Family Ballpark on Thursday night. The fault, this time, lies squarely on Florida’s arms, not the bats nor the defense.

“We preach we got to get five [innings] out of our starter,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Obviously, he didn’t have his great command tonight, and neither did many of the guys.”

In fact, Kyle Jones and Ethan Suroweic hit a collective 6-for-8 against the Rebels (19-4, 4-6). Cade Kurland got in on the action, too, with two singles and an eighth-inning home run.

Florida’s batting, otherwise, was dismal. Brendan Lawson’s struggles at the plate, four strikeouts and a flyout in five appearances, earned him a golden sombrero. He looked off-kilter, trying to swing his way out of strikeouts unsuccessfully. The bottom of the lineup didn’t look much better. None of the seventh through ninth spot batters collected a hit despite 11 at-bats.

“We have a great group of guys that we can hit,” Kurland said. “We just kind of just didn’t string it together at the right time.”

Even designated hitter Cole Stanford’s pickoff at first in the eighth inning pales in comparison to Florida’s woes.

Still, it could’ve been enough if Florida’s pitchers kept the score in check. Starter Liam Peterson, though, looked hapless as he struggled to keep the ball in the zone. The ace’s line didn’t necessarily show the ace’s confusion, but check the innings pitched and the total number of pitches thrown.

Despite striking out seven Ole Miss batters, Peterson only pitched 3 2/3 innings, throwing 87 pitches. His velocity topped at 97 miles per hour, but his control was messy. Most of the strikeouts came when Rebels hitters swung out of the zone, not necessarily because Peterson could sneak a pitch past them. Once Ole Miss matched his tempo and forced Peterson to come into the zone, Florida’s ace struggled to keep runs off the scoreboard. His outing ended with six hits and three earned runs.

“It was hard to manage the game from behind,” O’Sullivan said. “That’s why we used so many guys.”

The decision to pull Peterson ( 1-2) in the fourth was right, but Enersto Lugo-Canchola couldn’t figure out his footing either.

Conventional wisdom says Lugo-Canchola’s 1.93 FIP, the pitching metric that measures a pitcher based on strikeouts, walks, hit-by-pitches and home runs, gives him an advantage against left-handed batters. Comparatively, he has a 6.50 FIP v. right-handed hitters.

Not this night. Lugo-Canchola hit lefty Dom Decker with a pitch and gave up a homer to the next batter, left-handed Brayden Randle. Florida’s reliever struck the next batter out, but O’Sullivan pulled him with two outs left in the fifth inning.

By the time Florida’s four other relievers — Luke McNellie,  Billy Barlow, Caden McDonald and Jackson Barberi — entered the game, the score was out of the Gators’ reach.

“We have a great squad, and we could’ve done things better offensively and defensively tonight or on the mound,” Kurland said.

Florida will now have to rely on Aidan King  (3-2, 1.97 ERA) to pitch the team out of another hole in Friday’s game, starting at 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network+, 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF). And, it’ll need the probable Sunday starter, Russell Sandefer (2-1, 4.24), to look similar to his start against Arkansas. Neither task is impossible, but it’s contingent on an exhausted bullpen whose workload increases when starters can’t last in games.

That reliance isn’t conducive to a long postseason run, even if Florida wins the rest of the season. But neither is losing.

Doubles kicked off on Courts 1 and 2 with intense back-and-forth battles, both reaching 6-6 tiebreaks. Kevin Edengren and Andreas Timini secured a quick 6-2 win on Court 3 over Vanderbilt’s Jack Satterfield and Hugo Coquelin.

The Gators pair, nicknamed “The Invincibles,” improved to an 11-4 record. Coach Adam Steinberg referenced their chemistry following the match, saying he shows the team film of them playing as a reference.

“They don’t play tennis perfectly, but their energy is contagious,” Steinberg said. “Those things happen a lot in college tennis.”

Court 1 (Henry Jefferson and Tanapat Nirundorn vs. Nathan Cox and Hoyoung Roh) and Court 2 (Pablo Perez-Ramos and Adhithya Ganesan vs. Pablo Martinez Gomez and Callum Markowitz) featured tighter contests, with both matches tied at 6-6.

Jefferson and Nirundorn reached a tiebreak first but fell 6-7 (6-1). With each team claiming one match, the doubles point came down to Court 2, where Perez-Ramos and Ganesan battled Martinez Gomez and Markowitz. In front of a packed, energetic crowd, the Florida pair secured the match 7-6 (7-4), clinching the doubles point.

The Gators carried momentum into singles, winning four of the first six sets.

Jefferson earned the second overall point for Florida on Court 4 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Cox. Edengren followed on the adjacent court, defeating Hwang Donghyun 6-2, 6-4.

Edengren, now 8-0 in singles play on Court 6, said gaining confidence has been key this season.

“I started the year struggling a bit … winning a few matches here and there just really improves my confidence,” Edengren said. “I’m going into every match thinking, how can I improve?”

With the overall score at 3-0, Florida needed one more singles win to clinch the victory.

On Court 2, Lorenzo Claverie and Hoyoung Roh pushed to a third set. On Court 1, Ganesan trailed 1-4 to Martinez Gomez in the second set after dropping a first-set tiebreak. On Court 3, Jin led 6-4 after the opening set, while on Court 5, Perez-Ramos faced Satterfield after taking the first set 6-3.

The second set on Court 5 proved much tighter, forcing a tiebreak. Despite the close score, Perez-Ramos took control in the tiebreak, winning 6-1 to secure the match 6-3, 7-6 and clinch the fourth and final point for Florida.

Steinberg said the win was needed after a tough loss to Oklahoma the week prior.

“That was a match we had to have and the guys knew it,” he said. “They stepped up to the challenge … today was the best I’ve seen them do it.”

Florida returns to action Saturday for a home doubleheader against No. 7 LSU at noon and Presbyterian College at 5 p.m.

Running backs coach Jabbar Juluke bolted for Texas, and rumors began to swirl about Baugh following him to Austin, with a reported NIL deal of $1.5 million. Georgia and Ohio State were reportedly interested as well, with the Buckeyes snagging Baugh’s backfield partner Jakobi Jackson. 

The Gators running back ultimately returned home to Gainesville for his junior year thanks to a special visit in his hometown. 

“It was more of just knowing where home was in my thinking process,” Baugh said. “I know where home is and where I want to be, and Florida is definitely the place.”

One of the driving factors in Baugh’s decision to return was an in-house meeting with Jon Sumrall and Florida’s new staff on Christmas Eve. The staff spent the evening at the Baughs’ home, giving their pitch on why he should return. 

“It meant the most to me. He said that his dad had just passed,” Baugh said. “For him to bring his family to see me and say that his dad wanted to be here, that meant the most to me because that shows that you really, really care about your job and you really care about what’s going on and what players you want.”

He said that taking time for himself and being with his family and teammates helped him throughout the whole offseason. 

Baugh’s relationship with Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner dates back to before their time in Gainesville. Faulkner tried to recruit Baugh to Georgia Tech out of high school, and Baugh said they have had a close relationship since then, which helped his decision to return and play under him.

“Having him here was meant to be, basically,” Baugh said. “I knew the vision for it. I knew what was going on, I knew the players he was trying to bring in, and I knew what he was trying to do.”

Baugh says Faulkner is preaching playing fast and demanding the best out of each player, and to play fast, they need to practice fast. Florida has a “loaf report,” which records when a player does not hustle after the ball if they dropped a pass. Baugh says coaches are looking for “loafs” during each period, and the attention to detail has been very helpful.

The Gators tailback will be running behind a new offensive line this season, with transfers TJ Shanahan Jr., Eagan Boyer and Harrison Moore projected to start alongside Knijeah Harris and Caden Jones. Baugh said having Harris and Jones back helps build the chemistry between the new guys.

Baugh is excited for all the young guys to make explosive plays in The Swamp for the first time as the Gators prepare for their Orange and Blue spring game on April 11. 

“Marquez (Daniel) is like, ‘When I come into The Swamp, I’m going to be so nervous,’” Baugh said. “I’m like, ‘Bro, it’s football.’ The Swamp is electric, and it’s different when you walk in there, but again, it’s football. For him to just go out there and make plays on Saturday will impress me the most because I know what’s going through his head.”

Though Florida’s talent is undeniable, it went into the SEC meet as underdogs. Few expected it to surpass No. 1 Oklahoma (who it previously lost to) and No. 2 LSU (who it snuck by in early March). However, one thing was different for Florida. The event rotation for the SEC championships was unlike any the Gators had participated in this year. Their rotation started on beam, moving to floor, then vault and finishing on bars. That event-style rotation is unique to the SEC championships as most dual meets don’t follow that layout. The two quad meets the team competed in during the regular season also differed from their championship rotation. 

Why? 

Typically, for postseason meets, rotation order is based on rankings, with the highest-ranked team earning the traditional Olympic order (vault, uneven bars, balance beam, floor). With Florida entering as the No. 3 seed, it started on beam. 

A follow-up: Was that rotation the key to Florida’s inspired performance? 

Statistically, the Gators highest-scoring events are beam and bars, leading the country, in fact, on both apparatuses. However, their weaker events,  floor and vault, have kept them out of the top five in the country. Starting and ending the meet on their top events could have been the difference between a championship win and going home empty-handed. Florida opened the meet with a 49.525 on the beam, putting it ahead out of the gate, which was crucial for momentum. 

And, although the strong start on beam helped propel Florida to the championship, it was its stellar bars routine that secured the victory. The Gators have a notoriously stacked bars lineup, and this meet featured a typical result in that arena. Every gymnast scored a 9.9 or above, with Selena Harris-Miranda scoring a perfect 10, to help leap Oklahoma in the final standings. 

What does this mean ahead of regional competition? Going into regionals, the Gators are the highest seed in their bracket, as they compete in the second round against No. 14 California, No. 20 Penn State and the winner of Arizona vs. Arizona State. Although the rotation is not set, Florida will most likely rotate in the traditional Olympic order. However, on the road to nationals, its SEC-winning rotation may be the hidden key to a national championship. Florida has not won the title since its three-year run in 2013, 2014 and 2015. A national championship would also mark the first for head coach Jenny Rowland, and rotation order — sandwiching Florida’s worst events — could be the difference. 

Also of note: Oklahoma and LSU, whom Florida just upset, are bound to reach the national championships, as they have dominated the competition for the past four years. Although Florida beat the two teams during the SEC championships, doing so a second time isn’t guaranteed. And while the Gators aren’t guaranteed to see the rotation that allowed them to beat the Sooners and Tigers once, especially in the early rounds of post-season competition, it’s one that could potentially push Florida to a national championship, if they were to face again. 

Up Next

The NCAA Tempe (Ariz.) Regional for the Gators starts at 10 p.m. ET Thursday in Desert Financial Arena. UF will compete with No. 14 California, No. 20 Penn State and Arizona State in Session 2, while No. 6 Georgia, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 24 BYU and Southern Utah go at it in Session 1 at 4 p.m. ET. Both sessions will be carried on ESPN+.

The top two teams from each session move ahead to Saturday’s final, with the top two teams advancing to the NCAA Championships set for April 16 & 18 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Florida held its first intrasquad scrimmage last weekend at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, drawing a mixed review from Sumrall, who praised some position groups more than others.

“I thought the running back room as a whole gives me some hope,” Sumrall said. “The receiver room gives you some confidence, too.”

With returning players and marquee transfer portal additions in both groups, Sumrall’s praise came as no surprise. Yet, concerns remain in the trenches, specifically along the offensive line.

While complimenting the other position groups, Sumrall said the offensive line remains a work in progress. 

“(We’re) rolling a lot of different types of combinations on the offensive line,” Sumrall said. “You know it’s really hard for the offensive line to get in sync sometimes … but just really trying to evaluate individual pieces.”

Despite the inconsistency, there were some encouraging signs during the scrimmage. Most notably, TJ Shanahan Jr. stood out. The Penn State transfer followed offensive line coach Phil Trautwein to Gainesville during the offseason. 

“I think you feel TJ Shanahan at the line of scrimmage,” Sumrall said.

Shanahan is among a group competing for starting roles, alongside Fletcher Westphal, Caden Jones, Knijeah Harris, Roderick Kearney, and Harrison Moore.

However, concerns about the unit extend beyond on-field performance and into the weight room. 

During pro day, former Florida long snapper Rocco Underwood outlifted Damieon George Jr., a three-year starter on the offensive line. While Underwood was a key special teams contributor last season, it raises concerns when a long snapper, nearly 140 pounds lighter, outlifts a player expected to anchor the line of scrimmage. 

“Great kudos to the long snapper, but that’s not supposed to happen,” Sumrall said. “The standards are higher than anything they’ve been exposed to, I think most recently around here. We have a lot of work to do.”

The blocking concerns don’t end with the lineman. Tight End coach Evan McKissack also said his position group’s development is ongoing. 

“We’ve got to be a lot better using our hands and keeping our heads up,” McKissack said.

The Gators’ first spring game under Sumrall kicks off at noon April 11 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.