GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 2026 college football season marks the start of a new era for the Gators with a new coach and a lot of new athletes, and some top players on their roster are from the Central Florida and Tampa Bay areas.
For the University of Florida, it starts with their new starting quarterback in Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo.
He will have a lot of weapons to throw to, whether it’s former Jones High School standout Vernell Brown III or Tampa Tech star Dallas Wilson.
In his first game last season, Wilson went for 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns against Texas, setting the stage for a special Year 2 in Gainesville.
The only thing that stopped Wilson last season was his feet. First, he had a left foot injury that forced him to miss the start of the season, and a right foot injury against Georgia ended his freshman season.
“It was really tough, but it taught me patience as well, like being very patient and sticking to my routine,” Wilson said. “Going through that helped me really mature as a man.”
The injuries didn’t diminish his confidence. The redshirt freshman is excited to play for new Gators coach Jon Sumrall and new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
“This is a very diverse offense. You got long shots, then you got JB (Jaden Baugh) running the ball. Who’s going to stop that guy?” Wilson said. “So when you’re in these routes or running these plays with coach Buster and doing the things he’s asking you, it gets real fun. So just going out there, and backyard football, it feels like.”
Wilson wasn’t the only Gator on this season’s team who spent time in the training room last season.
Daytona native LJ McCray, who played at Mainland High School, also suffered a foot-injury and only took the field for four plays last season against the University of South Florida.
“It hurt me a lot, but it may have been needed for my development to even be mature to get to this point and understand how much football really means to me,” McCray said. “I’ve never missed a season of football. It opened my eyes and made me see how bad I really want this.”
Defensive lineman LJ McCray says he wants to redeem himself after he was injured in his 1st game for Florida last season. (Spectrum News)
The defensive lineman said he is looking forward to getting on the field this season.
“I’ve had a lot of time to sit there and watch others do it,” McCray said. “It goes back to this being my dream school. Just getting to go out there and redeem myself. And the last time I did it, it wasn’t to my standard.”
The redshirt sophomore, who is a former five-star recruit, is expected to be a big part of Brad White’s defense.
McCray, who is 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds, was named to The Athletics’ Freak List.