GAINESVILLE — Thus far, Florida’s Big Five has been the Big Four.
After just two games, sophomore edge rusher Jayden Woods has yet to make a noticeable impact, recording just a half-sack in lopsided wins against FAU and Campbell.
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Coaches and teammates hope that changes, beginning Saturday night at Auburn, where it will be critical to contain and chase down quarterback Byrum Brown.
Woods made his half-sack, along with four other tackles, during last Saturday’s 52-3 rout of Campbell. He appeared to find his stride while playing just 26 snaps, a week after logging 54 against FAU.
“He’ll continue to grow,” defensive coordinator Brad White said Tuesday. “It was good to see him get one. He had some really good rushes throughout the rest of the day.”
Due to elite athleticism, Woods often demands double teams or chip blocks from tight ends. At 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, he ran 20.6 mph on GPS tracking and power cleaned 405 pounds during the offseason.
But when opportunities arose against FAU and Campbell, Woods didn’t always capitalize.
“That’s the life of a pass rusher, especially if you want to be elite,” White said of the extra attention. “You’re gonna have to learn how to deal with that. But trust me, there’s plenty of situations where he didn’t get that and so like you got to take advantage of those.”
Gauging Woods’ potential, coach Jon Sumrall prioritized Woods, along with tailback Jadan Baugh, linebacker Myles Graham and receivers Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson.
Baugh has posted two games with at least 130 rushing yards; Graham leads Florida with 16 tackles; Brown has a team-high four touchdowns; and Wilson a 100-yard game with a score against Campbell.
Sumrall said Woods’ time will come.
“He’s just got to keep showing up and keep preparing the right way,” Sumrall said.
Will the USF loss in 2025 motivate the 2026 Gators at Auburn?
Graham is among more than a dozen players who played significant snaps during a Week 2 gut punch in the Swamp.
If there is any carryover from that 18-16 loss to USF, Graham feels it could favor Florida on Saturday.
To run his up-tempo attack, first-year Tigers’ coach Alex Golesh lured star quarterback Byrum Brown, center Cole Best and a trio of receivers, including Keshaun Singleton and Jeremiah Kroger after the duo combined for 88 receptions for 1,474 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
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“That game doesn’t matter to this game now,” Graham said of the ’25 stunner. “But it definitely gives us the experience. It’s the same kind of system, so we know what to expect going into it.”
While Sumrall dismisses any extra motivation, Golesh’s new program can expect to face a plenty of players who remember the most embarrassing loss during a disastrous four-win season.
“There’s not, like, a revenge game,” Sumrall said. “It’s Florida’s players playing against Auburn’s players. There’s no talk this week of any other teams than those two teams.”
Isn’t it about time these one-time rivals played again on the Plains?
Auburn holds a 43-39-2 advantage during a series that began in 1912, but has not been contested at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2011. That 17-6 loss was forgettable, but a 27-17 defeat in 2006 was the Gators’ only one during a national championship season.
A 38-35 loss in 1993 at Auburn was the only conference loss — and one of two overall — by Steve Spurrier’s SEC champions.
A 28-21 road loss by the unbeaten Gators, with Tigers’ sophomore tailback Bo Jackson starring, was followed by a 10-9 loss to Georgia for a 9-2-1 Florida team. Auburn went on to win the SEC title.
No. 2 Florida avenged the Aubrn loss 14-10 in 1985 at Jordan-Hare, holding Jackson to 48 yards during his Heisman season.
The history is rich in a contest played annually 1945 until 2002, when Rex Grossman’s touchdown pass in overtime capped a 30-23 win in the Swamp. It’s nice to have Florida-Auburn back on the schedule.
How healthy are the Gators?
After playing last season at Auburn, receiver Eric Singleton might have to sit out this one with a high-ankle sprain. The highly touted transfer was injured while blocking on Vernell Brown III’s 48-yard touchdown on the Gators’ first series during the season opener against FAU.
Defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo also is nursing an ankle injury suffered in Week 1. When he was on the field, the unique 6-foot-6, 303-pound transfer from Jacksonville State — located two hours north of Auburn — was Florida’s most impactful defender against the Owls. He recorded two tackles, two hurries and a pass breakup in 24 snaps.
Sumrall said both players are “questionable.”
Does Sumrall end his drought against the Tigers?
Sumrall is 0-4 against Auburn.
He played as a Kentucky linebacker in 2004 and served as a Wildcats’ graduate assistant in 2005. The Tigers tamed Troy in 2016 when he was an assistant coach, a role he held at Kentucky in 2020 when Auburn prevailed.
Sumrall’s wife, Ginny, is an Auburn alum, but her husband made it clear this week where his family’s allegiances lie.
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“Any family that is pulling against us, they ain’t my family,” he said.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]
Up next
What: UF (2-0) at Auburn (2-0)
When: 7 p.m., Saturday
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama
TV: ESPN
Favorite: Florida by 2.5 points