TAMPA — Coach Jon Sumrall’s first Florida football team will finish ninth in the 16-team SEC, according to league-wide media, a season after the Gators were predicted to come in sixth before finishing 4-8 under Billy Napier.
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Sumrall has energized the fan base and generated optimism. However, competing in the nation’s toughest conference, he and the Gators have ground to make up and questions to answer, including at quarterback, offensive line and in the secondary.
“We are going to do everything we can to be really good this year and beyond,” Sumrall said Wednesday in Tampa. “I’m excited about the direction of our program. We have nowhere near arrived.”
The Gators return only six starters and placed just three players on the preseason All-SEC teams.
Junior tailback Jadan Baugh was named second team after rushing for 1,170 in 2025. He was also named to the SEC’s third team as an all-purpose player after catching 33 passes and returning three kickoffs and punts last season.
Meanwhile, sophomore edge rusher Jayden Woods was named to the third team after recording 28 tackles, including 3 1/2 sacks as a freshman. Sophomore receiver Vernell Brown III was named the third-team’s return specialist after he averaged 12.6 yards returning punts and 17.4 yards returning kickoffs.
Linebacker Myles Graham was perhaps the biggest omission, failing to earn one of nine available spots at his position. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior led the 2025 Gators with 76 tackles, seven for loss, and seven quarterback hurries.
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Georgia is projected to win its third consecutive SEC championship, finishing ahead of Texas. Ole Miss is predicted to place third, followed by Texas A&M after the Aggies reached the 2025 College Football Playoff. LSU, led by new coach Lane Kiffin, was picked to finish fifth, followed by Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee, with Florida ninth in the 16-team conference.
Gamecocks quarterback Trinidad Chambliss earned first-team honors, edging out Texas’ Arch Manning. At running back, Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy and Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy were selected ahead of Baugh.
Vanderbilt was the only school without a position player represented on any of the three teams. Florida, Auburn, South Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri each had two selections, while Mississippi State and Arkansas had one player apiece.
Texas and Georgia led the conference with nine position players selected across the three teams, followed by Ole Miss and LSU with eight each. Oklahoma had seven selections, including five on the second-team defense, while Alabama had six, including two first-team defensive players. Tennessee placed four players on the third team, and Texas A&M had just three selections, despite being projected to finish fifth in the SEC.
2026 Preseason SEC Media Poll
1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Ole Miss
4. Texas A&M
5. LSU
6. Alabama
7. Oklahoma
8. Tennessee
9. Florida
10. Missouri
11. South Carolina
12. Auburn
13. Vanderbilt
14. Kentucky
15. Mississippi State
16. Kentucky
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]