The Florida Gators are set to host their annual Orange and Blue Spring game on Saturday, April 12th at 1:00 p.m. Florida’s National Championship basketball team will also be celebrated at halftime, so if you’re in town make sure to stop by and take a photo with the championship trophy and pick up the national championship poster.
Gator Country provides you with five storylines to follow on Saturday afternoon. Before I start, I want to note that it’s difficult to takeaway anything from a glorified scrimmage. You won’t see an advanced playbook on either side of the football, and several critical pieces to Florida’s 2025 roster will not be participating due to injury. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find the players that ‘pop’, like freshman RB Jadan Baugh did last year. Spring football is also a time for position battles, which we will get our first live look at in a few days.
Who’s QB2?
Florida’s starting quarterback DJ Lagway is not expected to throw during the Orange and Blue game as he’s dealing with a shoulder and lower body injury that has severely limited him throughout spring camp. He may dress out and actually play a few snaps, but he’s not expected to do any kind of throwing. With that in mind, keeping tabs on the backup quarterback battle will be a story worth following.
As we found out last year, having a talented backup quarterback is important to an offense. It’s fair to expect that Florida won’t have to use three quarterbacks like they did in 2024, but a surprising amount of college football teams use two quarterbacks, and Florida needs to be prepared for that, especially given Lagway’s current status.
Transfer Harrison Bailey, returner Aidan Warner, and freshman Tramell Jones are the names worth monitoring. My expectation is that Bailey wins the battle ahead of the 2025 season, but sources have told Gator Country that Warner is outperforming the rest of the quarterbacks in spring camp.
Freshmen to watch
My favorite part of the spring game is getting to watch the guys we’ve never seen play. Florida’s 2025 high school recruiting class ranked 7th in the country, and 19 of the 27 signees made it to campus for the spring semester.
My eyes will be drawn to the freshmen receivers in Dallas Wilson, Vernell Brown III, and Naeshaun Montgomery. Florida opted to only add one transfer receiver and instead revamp the unit with younger talent. This means the trio will have a chance for early playing time in 2025. All three have impressed the coaching staff with their work ethic and talent on the football field throughout spring camp.
Edge rusher Jayden Woods has caught the attention of his peers both on and off the football field. While the JACK position is crowded with talent, look for Woods to flash against an offensive line that will likely be rotating a bunch of guys in.
Cornerback Ben Hanks III and safeties Lagonza Hayward and Drake Stubbs will get plenty of reps during the spring game given the injuries in Florida’s secondary. Hayward and Stubbs could get reps at both safety and STAR.
Competition at right tackle?
The only starting offensive linemen Florida lost from the 2024 season was right tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, which means the Gators are searching for his replacement this spring. Redshirt sophomore Bryce Lovett has emerged as the favorite to win the job as he’s been primarily repping with the first team. However, Gator Country recently learned that redshirt sophomore Caden Jones is impressing at right tackle, so that will be a position battle to watch. Redshirt freshman Flecther Westphal is another name worth monitoring. Overall, there’s a ton of depth pieces looking to take big jumps, and the spring game will give us a look at just about every player.
Big recruiting weekend
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the weekend will come from recruiting, as the event gives Florida a chance to sell their product in front of some of the best talent in the country. The Gators will have a number of four- and five-star prospects on campus including DL JaReylan McCoy, DB Bralan Womack, QB Will Griffin, and DL Vodney Cleveland.
New players in the secondary
With Dijon Johnson, Jameer Grimsley, Aaron Gates, Bryce Thornton, and Sharif Denson all limited throughout spring camp, we’re going to see a lot of new faces in the secondary.
As previously said, keep an eye on the trio of Ben Hanks III, Lagonza Hayward, and Drake Stubbs as the injuries will allow these freshmen a ton of playing time across multiple positions. We will also get out first look at Southern Miss transfer Michael Caraway Jr., a senior defensive back that can play corner and STAR.
Rising redshirt sophomore Cormani McClain will likely be starting alongside Devin Moore with the first team defense. McClain has seemingly put things together off the field which has allowed for more success on the gridiron. A breakout year for McClain would do this Florida secondary wonders.
Orange and Blue rosters should be posted soon, so stay tuned at Gator Country for more information.