Key players return and other takeaways from Florida football sixth spring practice

Florida football held its sixth practice of the spring on Tuesday, March 24 at the Sanders Practice Fields.

In all, the Florida Gators will practice 15 times, culminating with the Orange and Blue game on April 11, 2026, at The Swamp (noon, TV, tbd).

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It was UF’s first practice after a week-long layoff for spring break, and first-year coach Jon Sumrall said some rust showed on the field.

“Felt a little bit like sometimes you come out of a bye week and you are trying to get the car re-started when it’s been off for a few days,” Sumrall said.

Sumrall said Florida will hold its first intra-squad scrimmage on Saturday, March 28., then another scrimmage, Saturday, April 4 before the Orange and Blue game. His goal is to establish discipline and toughness within a UF football program that has endured four losing seasons in the last five years.

Here are three takeaways from the open portion of practice:

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A handful of key Florida football players return

A handful of key players who were out last week returned to the practice field, including defensive tackle Joseph Mbatchou (foot) and cornerback Dijon Johnson (knee). Johnson, who was in an orange jersey last week, was a full participant.

Sophomore wide receiver Dallas Wilson also was in a full uniform during workouts but did not take part in drills, going back to the training room and stretching during individual drills.

“Out of the boot,” Sumrall said of Wilson. “The boot is off. Return to play, running program will start this week, what does that mean for availability this spring, I’d really have to really lean on (trainer) Paul Silverstri and that gang down there does a great job.”

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Defensive lineman Kamran James and defensive back Javion Tooms took part in drills in orange, non-contract jerseys.

Jon Sumrall mentions Florida football who are flashing on defense

Sumrall mentioned a handful of players who are flashing on defense, including linebacker Aaron Chiles, whose “presence was felt” during live tackling drills before spring break.

Defensive tackle Brendan Bett, defensive end LJ McCray, defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo and defensive back Kanye Clark also have made plays during live periods, Sumrall said.

True freshman edge rusher KJ Ford, meanwhile, is showing promise as he competes with Jayden Woods and Kofi Asare for playing time. The 6-foo-4, 250-pound Ford enrolled early at UF as a four-star recruit out of Duncanville High in Dallas, Texas.

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“KJ, he’s coming along really well,” Florida football outside linebackers coach Bam Hardmon said. “He still has those freshman mistakes. If you see the big picture, he’s a high school student right now, he came in early.”

Former Florida football great attends practice

Former Florida football All-American defensive back Keiwan Ratliff, now the defensive backs coach at Buchholz High in Gainesville, attended practice with a handful of Buchholz High players.

The 44-year-old Ratliff was a consensus All-American in 2003 before going on to a six-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneeers, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Three takeaways from Florida football’s sixth spring practice