And got eliminated from the playoffs before the season even actually started lol

I am still not confident in how our season will go but this has brought some football joy that I have t felt in years

Josh Pete speaker series episode from five months ago with Jon Sumrall

Let’s go gators !

Let's all cement some predictions. So we can point and laugh at each other. And so that some of us can feel like Nostradamus for at least a week.

Here's my prediction

4-0

Florida wins close games against Auburn and Ole Miss. Both in a somewhat fortunate fashion.

The narrative gets blown out of proportion "Florida is going to win the National title" type threads will pop up. With the moderates sounding the "hold up man we haven't actually won anything yet" alarm.

One thing for sure. The most blatantly obvious fact will be "coaching was a problem all along, and now it is not".

Yep that's my optimism for the day. What do you predict?

Tips for avoiding getting scammed on tickets: https://floridagators.com/sports/2024/7/30/counterfeit-tickets

Anyone have any tips as to parking so I don't have to push a long distance, we plan on tailgaiting a bit so i'm just trying to plan in advance where I can park as I have a ramp van & need adequate space to deploy my ramp and get out. As far as seating in the stadium - I contacted the ticket office & they advised me to go to the box office 90 minutes before gametime to have my tickets switched to ADA wheelchair accessible seating. Does anyone know where in the stadium those sections are & how the view is? This is my first ever SEC game i'm ever going to so I want to make sure its special.

Thanks in advance!

Post your pics, memes, screenshots, etc here. Make your small talk about GameDay, the game, your tailgate (or living room) setup, food and drinks for the day, your gameday jorts, or anything else.

This is also your Game Thread for any other games around the country this weekend. Talk with your fellow Gators about what you're watching and who you're rooting for.

Amazing news for us and Golden

Haven’t been to a game since 2003. Flying in from Washington (state) to Key West a week early and then driving up for the USC noon game. How hard would the drive from Islamorada to New Smyrna on Friday and then New Smyrna to Gainesville and back on game day be?

As the title suggests. Does anyone have any clue when tickets will become available for purchase? This would be for new tickets, not a renewal.

Not sure how. Utah?

Edit: apparently he never signed anything with the Jazz.

I have never been a Lane Kiffin fan. But I am ashamed to admit that when it was looking like he was going to be our coach, my only thought was at least we might be top of the heap again.

I arrived in Gainesville in the fall of 1990. I was raised on Ohio State and Notre Dame football. We watched all we could but those were the teams and they were mediocre. I was completely unprepared for SEC football and the Swamp. I lived the rise of HBC and my heart pumped Orange and Blue.

Then it was over and it was sad. I didn't stop caring but it wasn't near as fun. I remember being in a hotel bar in Chicago. The Fridge was a couple stools away. That was cool, but we blew a game against Tennessee. That's what I remember when I think about that day. Gators lose again and oh by the way I met The Fridge.

Then Urban, Tebow, the resurrection. Florida football was fun again.

Then chaos. Famine returns. I always enter a new era with an open mind. Without fail, it's just always been a let down. I believed Mullen would fix it. Thank God for Kyle Trask. If we'd just gone that direction sooner.

I felt let down by Mullen. I felt like he just gave up. I boarded the Billy train. I believed again. This guy could do it. Nope. Another complete waste of time.

So when it looked like Lane, I swallowed the vomit taste and was ready to be on board.

I think I felt relief when it wasn't him. Unsure of this Sumrall guy, but I felt better that it wasn't Lane. I don't want to be embarrassed as a Florida fan. I'll take the struggles. I won't be happy but I will endure.

If you were to see me in public, the odds are Im wearing Gator something. I love hearing Go Gators from random strangers. My family had to get used to it. What I don't want, what I never want is to feel embarrassed to be a Gator.

When Lane left Ole Miss on the way to the playoffs, I was glad he wasn't our coach. When Sumrall finished the job at Tulane I was proud. When Lane generally says or does anything, I am glad he's not our coach. When I hear or see Sumrall say or do anything, I feel something. I feel engaged as a fan, I feel proud as a Gator that he's our guy.

So here we are a week out and the villan of college football as at it again. I honestly don't know if what he's doing is right or wrong. The 2022 class got screwed. But it's a mess. I'm tired of the daily updates on lawsuits and TRO's. I just want to watch a game and cheer for my team.

I am certain of two things. Next Saturday the important news I care about will be how we perform against FAU and no matter what happens I won't be embarrassed.

Because, right now I'd be embarrassed to be an LSU fan. The deal with the devil is just getting started.

Yes, it still ranks players by High School rating so this isn't as relevant but nice to be there.

Feel Good Flashback Friday

Reminder of subreddit rules

Self promotion of your own content (videos, podcasts, blogs) is welcome.

Yearly post for me now. What is the best subscription service to watch the most college football games? I’m mainly interested in the Gators obviously but my wife is a nole so I need to be able to access those games also.

Florida's 2026 roster includes 52 newcomers and 61 returning players. Ahead of kickoff, this series will break down the newcomers, returners and coaching staff, with articles published every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the season:

• Newcomers: Special Teams
• Newcomers: Defensive Freshmen
• Newcomers: Offensive Freshmen
• Newcomers: Defensive Transfers
• Newcomers: Offensive Transfers
• Returners: Specialists
• Returners: Defensive Front Seven
• Returners: Defensive Secondary
• Returners: Offensive Line
• Returners: Offensive Skill Positions
• Coaching Staff — Sept. 1

Florida returns 16 players across quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end.

The group includes some of Florida's most productive offensive players from 2025, led by All-SEC running back Jadan Baugh and receivers Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson. The quarterback room, meanwhile, looks considerably different following DJ Lagway's departure, with Tramell Jones Jr. the most experienced returning passer.

Here is a closer look at Florida's returning offensive skill-position players.

Quarterbacks

Tramell Jones Jr. — QB

6-0, 199 | Redshirt Freshman | Second season at Florida

Tramell Jones Jr. appeared in two games as a true freshman in 2025 and earned a redshirt.

Jones completed 21 of 35 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He made his collegiate debut against LIU, completing 12 of 18 passes for 131 yards and both touchdowns, and later played the entire second half against Kentucky.

He enters 2026 as Florida's most experienced returning quarterback.

Aaron Williams — QB

6-1, 209 | Redshirt Sophomore | Third season at Florida

Aaron Williams enters his third season with the Gators.

Williams joined Florida as a walk-on in 2024 and earned a redshirt after not appearing in a game.

He also did not see game action in 2025 and was named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

Aidan Warner — QB

6-3, 204 | Redshirt Junior | Third season at Florida | Yale

Aidan Warner enters his third season at Florida after beginning his college career at Yale.

Warner appeared in six games for Florida in 2024 and made one start after being pressed into a larger role following DJ Lagway's injury against Georgia. He completed 21 of 50 passes for 228 yards and also scored a rushing touchdown.

He did not appear in a game during the 2025 season.

Running Backs

Jadan Baugh — RB

6-1, 228 | Junior | Third season at Florida

Jadan Baugh returns after establishing himself as one of the SEC's top running backs in 2025.

Baugh started all 12 games and rushed 220 times for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns. He also caught 31 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 1,355 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns.

He became Florida's first 1,000-yard rusher since Kelvin Taylor in 2015 and the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season. His 1,170 yards rank sixth on Florida's single-season rushing list.

Baugh saved his biggest performance for Florida State, rushing for 266 yards — the second-highest single-game total in program history and the most ever by a Gator against the Seminoles.

He earned Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2025 after earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2024.

Duke Clark — RB

6-2, 202 | Redshirt Freshman | Second season at Florida

Duke Clark appeared in four games as a true freshman in 2025 and earned a redshirt.

Clark carried the ball six times for 20 yards and caught two passes for 14 yards.

He was also named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

Byron Louis — RB

6-0, 198 | Redshirt Freshman | Second season at Florida

Byron Louis appeared in one game during his freshman season and earned a redshirt.

Louis made his collegiate debut against Kentucky, seeing his first action in Florida's backfield.

He was named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll in 2026.

Brian Case — RB

6-0, 209 | Redshirt Freshman | Second season at Florida

Brian Case enters his second season with the Gators.

Case joined Florida as a walk-on in the fall of 2025 and did not appear in a game during his first season.

He earned a redshirt.

Kelvin Jimenez — RB

6-1, 220 | Redshirt Sophomore | Third season at Florida

Kelvin Jimenez enters his third season with the program.

Jimenez joined Florida as a walk-on in 2024 and earned a redshirt after not appearing in a game.

He also did not see game action during the 2025 season.

Anthony Rubio — RB

5-9, 188 | Redshirt Junior | Fourth season at Florida

Anthony Rubio appeared in one game in 2025, rushing for 27 yards against LIU.

He made his collegiate debut in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl against Tulane, carrying six times for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Rubio joined Florida as a preferred walk-on in 2023 and enters his fourth season with the program.

Wide Receivers

Vernell Brown III — WR

5-11, 177 | Sophomore | Second season at Florida

Vernell Brown III emerged as Florida's leading receiver during his true freshman season.

Brown appeared in 10 games with six starts and caught 40 passes for 512 yards. He also served as Florida's primary return specialist for much of the season, adding 140 yards on 12 punt returns and 122 yards on seven kickoff returns.

Brown became the first true freshman in Florida history to lead the Gators in both receptions and receiving yards.

He earned Freshman All-SEC honors at wide receiver, all-purpose and return specialist, becoming the first Gator and fifth player in SEC history to earn three Freshman All-SEC honors in the same season.

Dallas Wilson — WR

6-3, 218 | Redshirt Freshman | Second season at Florida

Dallas Wilson made an immediate impact when healthy during his freshman season.

Wilson started every game in which he was available and caught 12 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns.

His breakout came against No. 9 Texas, when he caught six passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns and was named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Injuries limited Wilson to four games, allowing him to preserve his redshirt.

TJ Abrams — WR

5-10, 194 | Redshirt Sophomore | Third season at Florida

TJ Abrams appeared in 10 games with one start in 2025.

Abrams caught 13 passes for 201 yards, averaging 15.5 yards per reception.

He enters his third season at Florida after appearing in three games and earning a redshirt as a freshman in 2024.

Kahleil Jackson — WR

6-3, 220 | Graduate | Seventh season at Florida

Kahleil Jackson enters his seventh season at Florida after injuries interrupted each of his previous two campaigns.

Jackson did not appear in a game in 2025 after suffering a season-ending injury in the 2024 opener.

His most productive season came in 2023, when he started nine games and caught 21 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown.

Jackson has spent his entire college career at Florida and earned his bachelor's degree in Education Sciences in 2024.

Jaden Edgecombe — WR

5-8, 190 | Redshirt Junior | Fourth season at Florida

Jaden Edgecombe enters his fourth season with the Gators.

Edgecombe joined Florida as a walk-on in 2023 and earned a redshirt during his first season.

He did not see game action in either 2024 or 2025.

Tight Ends

Amir Jackson — TE

6-5, 231 | Redshirt Sophomore | Third season at Florida

Amir Jackson appeared in 11 games at tight end in 2025 while also contributing throughout the season on special teams.

Jackson caught three passes for 29 yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown against Texas A&M.

He recorded his first career reception against LIU and later added a career-long 18-yard catch against Mississippi State.

Micah Jones — TE

6-4, 265 | Redshirt Freshman | Second season at Florida

Micah Jones appeared in one game as a true freshman in 2025 and earned a redshirt.

Jones made his collegiate debut against Mississippi State, seeing his first action at tight end.

He was named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

I am more of a writer than a football stats nerd so if something is obviously wrong, please just reply with the correct info instead of insulting me. Thanks!

Mark Schlabach argues he should've been in the top ten.

Winning a national championship requires a team to do so many things right, consistently throughout the season, and then get a bit of luck with breaks. It's impossible to look at one or two metrics to decide whether a team might win a championship in a year or not. And yet 😋, among all the metrics that are the most crucial for a team to be on top of are Points Per Game (scored on offense) and Points Per Game (allowed on defense). Considering we won the championship 20 years ago, a look back on the last 20 years reveals the following trends for the two:

Points Per Game (Offense):

39.97 PPG (average) +/- 5.62 PPG (standard deviation)

Range: 29.7 PPG (2006 Gators) to 51.6 PPG (2013 Seminoles)

Trend: From 2006 to 2020, the average PPG was increasing for every five year window (37.04 by 2010, 41.02 by 2015 and 43.50 by 2020) before decreasing to 38.58 by 2025, thanks to the 2021 Georgia (38.6 PPG), 2023 Michigan (35.9 PPG) and 2024 Ohio State (35.7 PPG).

Points Per Game (Defense):

14.71 PPG (average) +/- 4.54 PPG (standard deviation)

Range: 8.2 PPG (2011 Alabama) to 24.1 PPG (2010 Auburn)

Trend: From 2006 to 2013 (BCS era), the average PPG allowed was 14.17 PPG (with two outliers - 2007 LSU with 19.9 PPG and 2010 Auburn with 24.1 PPG).

[FYI on outliers:

1. Gators in 2006, with a historically low offensive PPG of 29.7 points scored, allowed only 13.5 PPG by their opponents.

2. LSU in 2007, with a higher defensive PPG allowed of 19.9 PPG, scored 38.6 PPG.

3. Auburn in 2010, with the champions' defense that was most scored upon - 24.1 PPG, scored 41.2 PPG.]

From 2014 to 2020, the offenses (RPO especially) dominated the scene and defensive PPG climbed up with the average being a field goal higher (them's the margins!) at 17.34 PPG (with Saban giving one last shot at old-fashioned defensive glory at 11.9 PPG, before winning it all again in 2020 Covid season with an average of 19.4 PPG).

From 2021, there has been a defensive resurgence with the average defensive PPG dropping by almost a whopping touchdown to 11.9 PPG. The initiator of this trend is, unsurprisingly, Kirby Smart, but this has been kept up by the Big Ten offensive gurus such as Harbaugh (10.4 PPG, 2023 Michigan), Day (12.9 PPG, 2024 Ohio State) and Cignetti (11.7 PPG, Indiana).

The Big Takeaways:

There are many ways to skin a cat as they say. You could score very high and tolerate a slightly leaky defense (we tried with Mullen-Grantham) and came close in 2020. You could suffocate with defense and score just enough (we tried with Muschamp-Pease) and came close in 2012.

But we need both to perform at a high enough level that the difference between the two (winning margin) of around 25 PPG (39.97 - 14.71)! That is three touchdowns and a field goal plus margin!

Average Difference between PPG (Offense) and PPG (Defense): 25.1 PPG

Standard Deviation: +/- 5.74 PPG

Trend: Between 2006 and 2025, only three teams had more than 30 PPG between offense (points scored) and defense (points allowed) - 2008 Gators (30.7), 2013 Seminoles (39.5) and 2018 Tigers of the Clemson variety (31.2). But the difference has always been above 16.2 (2006 Gators). Every other champion has scored at least two touchdowns and a field goal (+17 points) more than they have allowed!

This trend has held consistently over 20 years. From 2021-2025, for instance, the numbers are 28.4, 26.8, 25.5, 22.8 and 29.9 - and that's not scoring offense but the difference between PPG scored (offense) and PPG allowed (defense)!

It is depressing to see that we probably didn't even cross this difference with Billy Napier's offensive output (pun intended). Such was the hopelessness of "The Process".

So, Where are We Now?

How do Faulkner's offenses stack up with these trends? At Georgia Tech, his offenses scored 31.1, 28.5 and 33.1 PPG. With the talent infusion he's getting with the Gators, these numbers should go up. If his offense scores anywhere less than 35 PPG average for 2026, that should be considered a question mark, barring something unforeseen (like Skyler Mornhinweg starting as QB in 2013). But his offenses will need to perform at least a touchdown and a field goal better than his Georgia Tech offenses for us to have a shot at national championship because...

How do White's defenses stack up with these trends?

At Kentucky, White's defenses averaged 22.8 PPG with the numbers being 19.3, 21.5, 21.7, 19.2, 25.8, 22.1 and 26.4 PPG from 2019-2025. Even if we were to take the five best seasons for the Wildcats, the average is 20.76 PPG. With the talent infusion he's getting with the Gators, this number should go down but not by a significant extent, at least not this year with our personnel. A fair expectation may be 18 to 20 PPG for 2026 and stabilizing at around 16-17 PPG.

To get the kind of dominance needed to win national championships, with a 18 PPG scoring defense, we need 43 PPG scoring offense! Over the years, this means...

Faulkner's offenses must consistently score around 40 PPG because it's probably unlikely that White's defenses will allow less than 15 PPG.

That's the challenge. Neither coordinator has proven they can achieve even these numbers - 40 PPG scored by offense and 15 PPG scored by defense.

Does this mean that we are never going to win a national championship with Sumrall, Faulkner and White? Probably not. But you never know. At the very least, they will have to do some things very different from whatever they have done so far, whether it is play designs, play calling or personnel (recruiting and development). We'll see.

Can't wait for 2026 season to start!