Florida football held its second spring practice on Saturday morning, starting out outside and then moving inside due to rain in Gainesville.
The Florida Gators will hold 15 spring practices, including the Orange and Blue game scheduled for 1 p.m. on April 12 at The Swamp.
Florida finished the 2024 season 8-5 and won four in a row to close the season to post its first winning record since 2020. Overall, the Gators are 19-19 in three seasons under coach Billy Napier.
Second-year Florida football strength and conditioning coach Tyler Miles said he’s noticed a different urgency in the weight room this winter before spring drills began. Miles mentioned returning All-American center Jake Slaughter, running back Ja’Kobi Jackson and linebacker Myles Graham as players who have set the tone in the weight room.
“The difference this winter has been more about you know what to do,” Miles said. “We’re not out there on that field with you, so you guys need to be comfortable communicating and be comfortable leading each other. So that’s the next step, that’s the next phase. So, and they’ve done a really good job with that.”
Here are three takeaways from the 15-minute open portion of practice:
Florida football QB DJ Lagway still not throwing, other QBs get work in
Florida starting quarterback DJ Lagway is still not throwing, but remained doing handoff drills and similated drop backs and throws.
Scholarship quarterbacks Harrison Bailey and Tramell Jones Jr. continued to gain chemistry with receivers. Bailey was more accurate than he was on day one, hitting receivers Eugene Wilson III and J. Michael Sturdivant in stride. Jones also showed more accuracy on intermediate and deep routes.
Florida football CB Cormani McClain more developed physically, locked in mentally
Florida redshirt freshman cornerback Cormani McClain has arrived in camp stronger and better prepared to absorb the playbook after putting on close to 20 pounds of muscle during the winter. The 6-foot-2 McClain, who played last season at 165 pounds, is at 182 pounds this spring.
“Cormani has been phenomenal,” Miles said. ‘And not just putting on weight, like he has conducted himself extremely well. I’m extremely proud of Cormani McClain.”
Miles said the added weight hasn’t slowed McClain down, but rather has made him more explosive, noting he ran 23 miles per hour on the treadmill during winter drills.
“He never ran that fast last year, and he weighs 20 pounds more and is running a whole mile per hour faster,” Miles said. “I think he’s like the example now for like, what building strength and muscle can do.”
A former five-star recruit from Lakeland, McClain is competing with returning cornerbacks Devin Moore and Dijon Johnson for playing time. He played sparingly as a redshirt freshman, but did return an interception for a touchdown late in UF’s 48-20 win over Kentucky last season.
Florida linebackers work on turnover drills
Florida linebackers worked on interception drills during the open session of practice, with junior Jaden Robinson making a nice snare of a hard thrown ball along the sidelined.
UF increased its turnover total from an SEC-low seven in 2023 to 25 in 2024 and is looking to build upon that in 2025.
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: Takeaways from second Florida football spring practice on Satruday
