Florida football rising but still unproven in post-spring SEC rankings

The Florida football program is expected to improve under new head coach Jon Sumrall in 2026. The greater question, however, still remains: just how far can the Gators climb behind a revamped roster anchored by returning impact players?

USA TODAY Sports' post-spring SEC rankings offer an early snapshot of the conference ahead of this fall.

Playing the SEC presents a steep uphill climb for the Gators, who are set to take on the top-ranked Texas Longhorns, second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and third-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in consecutive weeks. The rank perhaps says more about the depth of the conference than Florida itself.

A veritable gauntlet of opponents sits between Florida and relevance. Even other teams in the middle class have improved on paper mightily from last season.

The message for Gator Nation is that Florida is in an identity-shaping phase of the rebuild, and while they appear to be ahead of schedule, the program is also not a finished product. In the midst of a program overhaul, Florida is improving but still chasing the conference's top tier.

Established programs at the peak aren't going anywhere, so Sumrall and his staff must do twice the work to catch up in a crowded conference.

From year to year, keeping pace in the SEC can be grueling. That complexity deepens with expanded portal movement, realities of NIL and regular roster turnover. While the changes in college football have shrunk gaps between these tiers, the unpredictability opens the door for teams to improve dramatically. Reference Indiana, Houston and Utah, who shifted from losing records to double-digit wins in just one season.

Florida could be this year's surprise SEC contender, but that result will depend on whether the Gators can find stability at quarterback, their transfer portal gambles pay off and the defense can earn at least a top-25 ranking. The Gators will need efficiency and steady play from or in order to compete week-to-week.