Drafting the Florida Gators' Roster Ahead of 2026 Spring Game
Ahead of Saturday's Spring Game, Florida Gators on SI's Cam Parker and Inside the Gators' Mark Wheeler teamed up to do an honorary draft of the Florida Gators' 2026 roster.
How it worked was each team had to fill a 22-man roster with each player having to have played that position in spring camp to be selected for that spot (i.e., TJ Dice Jr. can be selected at either tackle spot but cannot play center). Additionally, there was no pressure to select certain positions early, with only one quarterback and one running back available for each team (i.e., if Aaron Philo is taken by one team, the other is under no obligation to take a quarterback right away and can wait until the very end).
Additionally, players who have battled injuries in spring and are unknowns for the game (Dallas Wilson, Myles Graham, etc.) were not available to take.
With that being said, here is a look at how the draft played out, what the teams look like and why each team made the picks they made.
The Draft
| Round | Orange (Cam) | Blue (Mark) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JACK Jayden Woods | WR Vernell Brown III |
| 2 | DL Brendan Bett | DL Joseph Mbatchou |
| 3 | RB Jadan Baugh | WR Eric Singleton Jr. |
| 4 | CB Ben Hanks III | CB Cormani McClain |
| 5 | OL Harrison Moore | OL Caden Jones |
| 6 | LB Aaron Chiles | S DJ Coleman |
| 7 | OL Knijeah Harris | STAR Kanye Clark |
| 8 | S Bryce Thornton | WR Micah Mays Jr. |
| 9 | DL Emmanuel Oyebadejo | DL Jeramiah McCloud |
| 10 | CB Dijon Johnson | LB Jaden Robinson |
| 11 | DL DK Kalu | OL Eagan Boyer |
| 12 | OL TJ Shanahan Jr. | LB Ty Jackson |
| 13 | S Cam Dooley | OL Bryce Lovett |
| 14 | QB Aaron Philo | TE Luke Harpring |
| 15 | TE Amir Jackson | DL LJ McCray |
| 16 | WR Bailey Stockton | OL Jason Zandamela-Popa |
| 17 | WR TJ Abrams | JACK KJ Ford |
| 18 | WR Davian Groce | S Lagonza Hayward |
| 19 | OL Emeka Ugorji | CB J'Vari Flowers |
| 20 | OL TJ Dice Jr. | OL Desmond Green |
| 21 | LB Myles Johnson | RB Duke Clark |
| 22 | STAR Dylan Purter | QB Will Griffin |
The Teams
Offense
| Position | Orange (Cam) | Blue (Mark) |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Aaron Philo | Will Griffin |
| RB | Jadan Baugh | Duke Clark |
| WR | Bailey Stockton | Vernell Brown III |
| WR | TJ Abrams | Eric Singleton Jr. |
| WR | Davian Groce | Micah Mays Jr. |
| TE | Amir Jackson | Luke Harpring |
| LT | TJ Dice Jr. | Caden Jones |
| LG | Knijeah Harris | Desmond Green |
| C | Harrison Moore | Jason Zandamela-Popa |
| RG | TJ Shanahan Jr. | Bryce Lovett |
| RT | Emeka Ugorji | Eagan Boyer |
Defense
| Position | Orange (Cam) | Blue (Mark) |
|---|---|---|
| JACK | Jayden Woods | KJ Ford |
| DT | Brendan Bett | Joseph Mbatchou |
| DT | DK Kalu | Jeramiah McCloud |
| DE | Emmanuel Oyebadejo | LJ McCray |
| LB | Aaron Chiles | Jaden Robinson |
| LB | Myles Johnson | Ty Jackson |
| STAR | Dylan Purter | Kanye Clark |
| CB | Ben Hanks III | Cormani McClain |
| CB | Dijon Johnson | J'Var Flowers |
| S | Bryce Thornton | DJ Coleman |
| S | Cam Dooley | Lagonza Hayward |
Breaking Down Team Orange (Cam)
I decided, because of the question marks at offensive line and what we've heard at press conferences and from the scrimmages about the defensive line, to prioritize that first with Jayden Woods, arguably the top player on the team besides Jadan Baugh, and Brendan Bett, who has garnered praise for being a spark for energy on defense. Emmanuel Oyebadejo was also hard to pass up despite other options available because of his size and his ceiling, and DK Kalu has been a pleasant surprise, with Gerald Chatman highlighting his play in camp on multiple occasions.
I will give Mark credit for his receivers, and ceding him Vernell Brown III, Eric Singleton Jr., and Micah Mays may not be my wisest decision, but I think I balanced that well with Ben Hanks III, who has arguably been Florida's top corner in camp, and veteran players in corner Dijon Johnson and safeties Bryce Thornton and Cam Dooley.
Because I have Baugh and because of my lack of established deep-threat receivers, I decided to prioritize speed, yards after catch, and the rushing game. Bailey Stockton and Davian Groce give Florida versatile options, while Aaron Philo reportedly had a strong rushing performance in the second scrimmage. It also helps that established veteran Knijeah Harris, system-familiar center Harrison Moore, and guard TJ Shanahan Jr., who has also been praised for his aggressiveness, are leading my interior line.
Breaking Down Team Blue (Mark)
First off, I'll give Cam credit for building one of the stronger rosters over the 6-8 times I've held this draft. There were at least three occasions where he picked the player I intended to take with my next pick.
Good job!
These two teams were being picked to play one game, and then disbanded. So, we are living in the here and now – and not overly concerned with upside or down the road potential.
This is a what have you done for me lately type of draft.
That is why I looked for positional value.
For example, I took Kanye Clark in the seventh round. Is Clark one of the 14 best players on the squad? Maybe not. But he is the only Star that Jon Sumrall has praised several times. The dropoff from him to the other two makes him more valuable and definitely sets him apart from the other two Stars.
The same for wide receivers. Just this week, the coaches have talked about four or five being ready to play. I think I got the top three.
Orange squad's Ben Hanks III may have had the best spring of the cornerbacks, but he is but one player. That means we are going to see Bryce Thornton and/or Dylan Purter matched up against one of my top three. I like my chances there.
In what probably looks like the biggest shock, since Orange took Aaron Philo, I could wait around and select my quarterback last. My options were Tramell Jones Jr. and Will Griffin. Jones Jr. has a year of experience on Griffin, but they both have had the same amount of time in this offense. Plus, I like Griffin more as a runner to move around or take off to avoid Woods.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Drafting the Florida Gators' Roster Ahead of 2026 Spring Game.
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This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 11:30 AM.