Day One Looks And Feels Better Already For These Sumrall Gators

Dallas Wilson. Photo by Eddie Gilley

Observations look promising. But don’t they always?

 By EDDIE GILLEY

GatorBaitMedia.com

We got our first look at the 2026 Gator Fall training camp Wednesday morning. It was brief and purposefully generic. No routes, no coverages, unless working on punt coverage counts, and no real contested drills. 

So, with that being said, here are a few nuggets I took from being there on day 1.

Dallas Wilson (pictured here) looks like he is moving freely. No limping, no holding back. When he did the drills, he was all in. That’s good news if he can stay that way throughout the entire season. He looks like an NFL ready wide receiver. The only question will be his durability. 

Having Vernell Brown III and Eric Singleton line up alongside him or to give him some rest should help him have an All-American type season if he can stay on the field!

Jaden Baugh is a physical beast. He looks like he is bigger and stronger than last year. That’s bad news for opponents and great news for Gator fans. The downside is there is significant dropoff in terms of size between him and the rest of the running back room. The others may still be productive, but Baugh is the guy you want to have on the field if you need two yards to close out a game. 

Like Wilson, his health is a key factor in the success of this year’s Gator team.

Miles Graham is another Gator who looks to have flourished in the new weight and conditioning program by this new staff! He looks leaner and yet bigger by.  He and Aaron Chiles both are intimidating physical presences in the middle of the defense. They are the kind of guys you want with you in a dark alley late at night. They are scary dudes. 

That’s what the Gator defenses have missed since Brandon Spikes. A guy who says if the opponents need one yard, they had better try the corner rather than run the ball inside. 

For what it’s worth, and I think it’s worth nothing, Tramell Jones was the first QB in line when the passing drills started. He looked as good as you could want, spinning the ball to managers. Second guy was Aaron Philo. His throws were also picture perfect. Even Will Griffin looked impressive throwing over the screens to stationary targets. That’s the problem, DJ Lagway looked good last year throwing on the first day of camp. 

Perhaps we will know more when the first scrimmage rolls around in a week or so, but at least the Gators have some viable options and there is a competition to see who earns the right to start at QB in the Swamp.

Overall, the tone was upbeat for early morning practice. The coaches were active and encouraging the players. 

You get a feeling the players seem to be more unified than last year —more of a relationship of brotherhood and less individualism that was prevalent last year. 

Time will tell if that is true or that is just the result of it being the first day.