With spring camp wrapped up, Gator Country is giving subscribers a chance to submit questions in our regular Florida Football Mailbag. Here’s part two.
TVnGators: A prickly question—last year Napier said again and again that Lagway was in great shape and of course none of it was true. Now Dallas Wilson is ok according to Sumerall but is not practicing or playing. Sorry to be skeptical but having been misled by the gator organization lately is this another coverup or Dallas will be fine?
NM: Well first of all, those are two completely different situations for a number of reasons.
The first is that Lagway started all 12 games for Florida last season and never missed game action due to injury. If that ends up being the case with Wilson, we won’t be having this conversation about his time off during spring camp.
Second, Lagway is a quarterback and Wilson is a wide receiver. It’s simply less important for Wilson to go through spring camp than it was for Lagway. Sumrall clearly feels very confident in what they have with Wilson.
Wilson also has a well-documented foot injury dating back to last season, which wasn’t the case with Lagway. On top of that, we actually know Wilson’s level of participation in practice—we didn’t with Lagway. Wilson participated in offseason workouts but had a flare-up in his foot, and that’s when Sumrall and the staff decided to limit him in camp. Throughout the spring, we’ve still seen Wilson doing some drills and even running sprints at full speed on the sideline. Sumrall mentioned he hit over 21 MPH the other day.
Long story short, this isn’t a cover-up. Wilson does have a history of foot issues, so no one can guarantee there won’t be another flare-up or injury. But a pretty telling sign is that Florida has allowed Wilson to speak with the media—they wouldn’t do that if they were trying to hide something or expected him to miss an extended period of time.
It’s not uncommon for guys with lingering injuries to be held out or limited during spring camp.
OklahomaGator: How did special teams look?
NM: It’s been fun to watch the energy and excitement around special teams in Gainesville. It’s how they start every single practice. While most of the drills haven’t been full contact, they’ve looked sharp.
We’ve seen a few blocked punts throughout the spring and some sound punt coverage. Florida has real speed at gunner this year. There shouldn’t be any concern with kicker Patrick Durkin, and punter Alec Clark has flashed at times in practice. With the speed at both gunner and returner, Florida could be in for a really strong year on special teams. It’s clearly being emphasized, which is more than half the battle.
ajoseph: You’ve seen four years with Napier, and you’ve seen a grand total of one Spring with Sumrall. And so I understand this will be difficult to really answer. But …Napier came out of the gate with glaring slips and misses. What do you think from your industry knowledge that Sumrall needs to do better? What have you seen that are his misses and where is there room for coaching improvement?
NM: I really don’t think it’s fair to answer that question before Sumrall even takes the field for the first time. I’m not in the meeting rooms, and I’m not seeing every second of practice. Any answer I gave would be missing critical information. It’s hard to evaluate what he’s missed on without actually seeing the team play a real game, especially considering this team has only practiced 15 times.
I also don’t think it’s fair to judge his previous coaching experience, because coaching in the SEC is a different level, and he’s working with a new staff and new coordinators. Sumrall also put together a roster with 50 new players, so there’s naturally going to be a learning curve as he figures out the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
I know it’s not the answer you’re looking for, but there’s simply not enough information at our disposal this early in his tenure at Florida. He appears to be focused on addressing some of the issues that developed under Napier, which is a reasonable first step.
AFGator: Based on talent and depth or lack of depth at their position, rank 1-5 the most indispensable players for the Gators in 2026.
1. Edge Jayden Woods
Maybe the most talented defensive player on the roster, and at a position where Florida isn’t tremendously deep. It’s also one of the premier positions on the field. He’s easily my most important player for 2026.
2. DT Brendan Bett
Bett had a strong spring camp at defensive tackle, a position where Florida is still searching for depth. I like his upside heading into 2026.
3. WR Vernell Brown III
Wasn’t going to put any wide receivers on this list because of the talent in the room, but Vernell Brown III is a top three receiver on the team with additional value at punt returner.
4. LB Myles Graham
A leader on the defense with great instincts. An experienced linebacker who sets the tone.
5. S Bryce Thornton
Thornton had a good junior campaign and is back for his final year. Florida hasn’t had high-level safety play over the years, and Thornton provides some stability on the back end.