Key players return and other takeaways from Florida football sixth spring practice
Florida football held its sixth spring practice on Tuesday, March 24 at Sanders Practice Fields.
In total, the Florida Gators will practice 15 times, culminating with the Orange and Blue game on April 11, 2026 at The Swamp (noon, TV, TBD).
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It was UF’s first practice after a week off for spring break, and first-year coach Jon Sumrall said some rust was visible on the field.
“It was kind of like sometimes you come off a bye week and you’re trying to get the car started again when it’s been off for a few days,” Sumrall said.
Sumrall said Florida will hold its first intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday, March 28, then another scrimmage on Saturday, April 4 before the Orange and Blue game. His goal is to establish discipline and toughness within a UF football program that has endured four losing seasons in the past five years.
Here are three takeaways from the open portion of the practice:
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A handful of key Florida football players return
A handful of key players who were absent last week returned to the practice field, including defensive tackle Joseph Mbatchou (foot) and cornerback Dijon Johnson (knee). Johnson, who wore an orange jersey last week, was a full participant.
Sophomore receiver Dallas Wilson also wore a full uniform during practice, but did not participate in drills, returning to the practice room and stretching during individual drills.
“Out of the boot,” Sumrall said of Wilson. “The boot is off. Return to play, running program will start this week, what does that mean for availability this spring, I should really lean on (coach) Paul Silverstri and that team over there is doing a great job.”
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Defensive lineman Kamran James and defensive back Javion Tooms participated in drills in orange jerseys without a contract.
Jon Sumrall mentions Florida football shining on defense
Sumrall mentioned a handful of players who shine on defense, including linebacker Aaron Chiles, whose “presence was felt” during live tackling drills before spring break.
Defensive tackle Brendan Bett, defensive end LJ McCray, defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo and defensive back Kanye Clark also played during live periods, Sumrall said.
True freshman KJ Ford, meanwhile, shows promise as he competes with Jayden Woods and Kofi Asare for playing time. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Ford enrolled early at UF as a four-star recruit out of Duncanville High in Dallas, Texas.
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“KJ, he’s doing great,” Florida football outside linebackers coach Bam Hardmon said. “He still has those freshman mistakes. If you look at the big picture, he’s a high school senior right now, he came in early.”
Former Florida football player attends practice
Former Florida All-American football defensive back Keiwan Ratliff, now the defensive backs coach at Buchholz High in Gainesville, attended the practice with a handful of Buchholz High players.
Ratliff, 44, was a consensus All-American in 2003 before going on to a six-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneeers, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Kevin Brockway is the Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat the writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Three takeaways from Florida football’s sixth spring practice
