The FWAA‑NFF preseason poll for the 2026 college football season left the Florida Gators absent from its initial list of 16 contenders, granting the program a meager five votes.
Even traditional SEC rivals such as Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Auburn failed to crack the Super 16, yet each earned more support than Florida, with 33, 7 and 7 votes respectively, and would have edged the Gators had the ranking been expanded to 25 teams.
A new era begins
On September 5, the first day of Jon Sumrall’s tenure as head coach, the Gators opened their season against Florida Atlantic at 7:45 p.m. ET, marking the start of a revamped campaign.
Sumrall has pledged to re‑energize the fan base and restore the program’s place among the SEC’s elite, leaning heavily on an aggressive recruiting push and a strategic use of the transfer portal.
The coach’s vision hinges on turning early‑season momentum into sustained competitiveness, a narrative that will be tested from the first whistle.
If the Gators can translate their recruiting gains into on‑field production, the five‑vote preseason snub could become a rallying point rather than a lingering embarrassment.