Florida Football Releases Depth Chart to Start 2026 Season
As the Gators focus their attention on Week 1, the starting roles are firmed up for the season opener. Florida released its first depth chart of the 2026 season Monday ahead of UF’s first matchup Saturday against Florida Atlantic.
Gators coach Jon Sumrall detailed the process of solidifying the starters for Week 1, emphasizing the coaching staff’s transparency with players to avoid controversy and confusion.
“We’re really, really direct. I don’t hide things with our players. Everybody on their depth chart, wherever they are, they know why,” Sumrall said Monday. “There’s no surprises and we take things head on. I think the players deserve that. They put in too much time and too much work to not have real conversation with them.”
Despite the official release of the pecking order for Florida’s first game of the season, some position battles had been publicly decided last week. Sumrall notably tabbed Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo as the starter at the quarterback position, while also giving clues as to what the offensive line will look like.
Some of the bigger shocks regarding Florida’s roster reside in the tight end and cornerback rooms.
After an impressive fall camp, senior Lacota Dippre emerged as the starter, beating out a packed room featuring freshman Heze Kent and juniors Amir Jackson and Luke Harpring. Sumrall noted the JMU transfer’s consistency as one of the keys that led to him being the go-to tight end to start the year.
“Lacota [Dippre] has been really steady all training camp. He’s been really consistent his entire time here, so I’m fired up about what he’s done just from a consistency standpoint day in and day out. The way he shows up is very impressive,” Sumrall said. “Behind him, I think Heze [Kent] has made as much improvement for a freshman as anybody on our team since January.”
As for the secondary, the shock stems from sophomore Ben Hanks III complementing senior Cormani McClain as the starting cornerbacks in Week 1. Sumrall backed the move with confidence in Hanks’ development throughout the offseason, building off his strong finish to the 2025 season.
“Ben [Hanks II] has done a great job, going back to the whole time I’ve been here. I’m excited to see him play more of a prominent role,” Sumrall said. “He’s got good length. He can run. He plays the ball in the air well. He’s got good ball skills. He’s a guy that works incredibly hard.”
Senior Dijon Johnson and sophomore J’vari Flowers are expected to slot in behind Hanks and McClain, with the group of four all expected to see significant playing time in defensive coordinator Brad White’s numerous complex schemes.
With one of the final offseason formalities out of the way, the Gators now eye their fifth meeting all-time with FAU on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. Sumrall embraced the energy surrounding starting the season at home, urging fans to show out as the former SEC linebacker prepares for his return to The Swamp, coaching from the sidelines this time.
“We need an unbelievable home field advantage. When I went through the process of taking this job, I remembered playing here in 2004 and how electric the venue is. We need it to be that way every time we play and when we play this Saturday night,” Sumrall said. “There should not be an empty seat and we need Gator Nation to turn out and support our guys.
“If we want an elite level program, which I think we all want, it takes everybody. It takes the fans, it takes the coaches, it takes the players, it takes everybody.”
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Football
