The Florida Gators are set to kick off the 2026 season against FAU on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:45 p.m. ET inside The Swamp. It will be the fifth all-time matchup between the two programs and the first since 2021. The Gators own a 4-0 record against the Owls, outscoring FAU 155-51 across those four meetings.
Florida is 89-30 all-time in season openers, including a 71-8 mark in Gainesville. The Gators have lost just three season openers since 1990, posting a 31-3 record during that span. Those losses came against Michigan in 2017, at Utah in 2023 and against Miami in 2024.
Sumrall is 3-1 in season openers as a head coach, with three consecutive wins. His lone loss came against No. 21 Ole Miss in his head coaching debut at Troy in 2022. In season openers, Sumrall’s teams have outscored opponents 133-61, resulting in an average point differential of 18.0 points per game.
Florida is currently 26.5-point favorites.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
FAU is entering the second year under head coach Zach Kittley, who is the youngest head coach in the FBS at 35 years old. Things didn’t go smoothly in Year 1, as the Owls finished 4-8 (3-5 AAC).
They had one of the nation’s worst defenses, ranking 132nd out of 135 Division I teams in points allowed per game at 36.3. They also ranked 130th nationally in total defense, allowing 436.5 yards per game. The Owls struggled to create turnovers, missed 143 tackles and didn’t generate enough pressure up front.
Ultimately, it’s the side of the ball that has to improve dramatically if FAU wants to have a better season.
The Owls did add double-digit transfers on that side of the ball, including at least four projected starters, while returning six players who started the majority of games last season. It’s hard to imagine they won’t be improved on defense. They really can’t be much worse.
The offense is a different story. Kittley is known for his high-powered offenses, arriving at FAU after serving as offensive coordinator at Texas Tech and Western Kentucky, where he found tremendous success. In his seven seasons as a full-time offensive coordinator, Kittley’s teams averaged 457.3 yards and 34.8 points per game.
In 2025, FAU ranked 50th in scoring offense at nearly 30 points per game, and 22nd in total offense at 444.7 yards per game. They had the top passing offense in all of college football, averaging over 340 passing yards per game, over 22 yards more than the second ranked team.
One of the biggest challenges of defending Kittley’s offense is the pace at which they play. FAU ranked No. 1 nationally in tempo in 2025, averaging 21.4 seconds between plays, according to WRUF. The Owls actually tied USF, which Florida lost to last season.
Florida will have to emphasize getting the play call in, getting set and being ready to execute. FAU’s offense will also stress Florida’s secondary with how often the Owls throw the ball.
The good news is that Jon Sumrall has faced a Kittley offense before, so that should give Florida an advantage in preparation. Tulane beat FAU 35-24 on Nov. 15 of last season.
FAU has an experienced, productive quarterback who played through a shoulder injury last season. The Owls also have a star wide receiver. More on those guys below.
An underrated area of their game, according to Sumrall, is FAU’s special teams unit. The Owls ranked in the top 40 in every special teams category that Sumrall’s staff evaluates. However, they do have an almost entirely new specialists room.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Caden Veltkamp #10: Caden Veltkamp tossed for 3,641 yards and 24 touchdowns with the Owls in 2025. At Western Kentucky in 2024, Veltkamp threw for 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns. The eyesore here is his 27 interceptions over the last two seasons, including a career-high and FBS-high 17 last season. At 6’5″, 245 pounds, Veltkamp is not much of a running threat.
WR Easton Messer #8: Easton Messer returns for his fifth season of college football after going for more than 1,000 yards for FAU in 2025. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound receiver plays out of the slot and will be targeted early and often. He caught 104 passes a year ago, which ranked third nationally. He led the country in receptions per game. Messer will also return punts for FAU.
DL CJ Doggette Jr.: This is one player that Jon Sumrall said popped on tape when they played FAU last year. CJ Doggette Jr., a 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive tackle, recorded 28 tackles and four sacks last season. He was also productive at Ohio the year before.