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Head coach Jon Sumrall, punter Alec Clark, safety DJ Coleman, and left tackle Bryce Lovett spoke with the media this morning to review No. 8 Florida’s 52-28 win over Ole Miss and preview this weekend’s matchup against No. 25 Missouri.
JON SUMRALL
INJURY REPORT
Sumrall made sure to note that none of the injuries are that serious. He gave updates on Vernell Brown III, Bailey Stockton and Dijon Johnson. “VB3, nothing serious… we got great news…the MRI revealed nothing that is long-term,” Sumrall said. He added that it was probably the lowest-grade strain you could get. He said nothing will hold Brown back medically, only his own readiness. Bailey Stockton got hit bad against Ole Miss over the weekend. Sumrall referred to it as a “car crash on the field” but said that he’s just sore. “Nothing structurally wrong, and so, we’re working through that,” Sumrall said. Dijon Johnson is dealing with a high ankle injury, but Sumrall said that it was nothing serious. Eric Singleton was a game-time decision last week. He will be a full-go this week.
MISSOURI’S OFFENSIVE LINE
Sumrall was complimentary of the offensive line at Missouri. “It starts up front with them. You look at offensive line, I think this is the best offensive line that we’ve played,” Sumrall said. He also discussed Missouri’s right guard Curtis Peagler, who he tried to recruit to Troy. “I was at Troy, and I don’t know, I mentioned last week that Vegas was on drugs. I don’t know what I was doing at the time. I thought I had a chance to get this kid at Troy, the Peagler kid, went to Missouri,” Sumrall said. He added that their line is really good. Saying that the identity has stayed the same even though the offensive coordinator has changed a couple of times since Eliah Drinkwitz was head coach.
ON FLORIDA’S CORNERBACKS
The secondary has had a lot of big moments in 2026 so far, and also a lot of mistakes. Sumrall said that the room has had a lot of highs and lows. He discussed things he’s seen from the cornerbacks. “Cormani’s [McClain] highs are as good as anybody out there. It’s just about being consistent and detailed,” Sumrall said. He added that Ben Hanks III has taken a step forward and made some good plays. He pointed out that J’Vari Flowers gave him some hope in the game against Campbell but didn’t have his best week of practice. He also talked about Dijon Johnson. “DeeDee a couple times last week, just awareness wasn’t quite where it needed to be,” Sumrall said. He didn’t seem to be worried about Johnson, saying that he is a veteran who cares.
NOTABLE QUOTES FROM SUMRALL
On talking about the Ole Miss game in the building: “I don’t want to hear anybody talking about that game the rest of the year.”
On rankings: “The rankings mean absolutely nothing. Anybody that’s feeling really good about us being ranked wherever we’re ranked, it means nothing to me today.”
On being Missouri’s Homecoming opponent: “I have zero concerns about anybody’s Homecoming. It’s a football game. I do know this: the last four trips we’ve gone to Missouri, we’ve lost three of them. So, if we think it’s going to be a freaking cakewalk… we’re in for a rude awakening.”
On Drinkwitz: “He’s done a really good job… he was a head coach at App State before I went to Troy. He left to go to Missouri… I go to Troy. He’s a guy I’ve always had a good relationship with.”
Alec Clark
Clark had an absolute bomb of a punt in the win over Ole Miss. A 70-yarder that went out of bounds at the two-yard line. He was immediately asked about it and how it impacted the game. “Yeah, just probably the timing about the second half and knowing how explosive Ole Miss’ offense is and probably a bit fortunate with a bounce also on the two. Probably nine times out of 10 that would be a touchback, but I loved it,” Clark said. He hails from Perth, Australia. He was asked if he had spoken with other athletes on campus who are from Perth. “Yeah, Alex Condon and Alex Kovatchev. They are both from Perth. I met them in the summer with the guys doing their workouts here. It’s really cool. We’re just going back and forth with places in Perth that we know and what high schools they went to,” Clark said.
DJ Coleman
Coleman had a great game against Ole Miss. He had an explosive hit that was the talk of the town along with an interception. He was asked about what he saw on the interception. “I saw [Trinidad] Chambliss roll out and I felt the tight end run the sail route, so I was just trying to stay underneath. Then he rolled out and threw it; we locked eyes. I just had to catch it and make sure I caught it,” Coleman said. A reporter asked if he was aware of how Florida last lost to Missouri. “I heard about it. I mean, we’re not trying to be in that position. We’re trying to win the game early,” Coleman said. He said that some players he wanted to be like were Kam Chancellor and Jamal Adams.
Bryce Lovett
Lovett’s physical transformation over the offseason was a main topic of discussion. He dove into what changes he had to make. “I met with Coach Jake [Sankal] in the beginning and just like told him I was ready to commit. Like ive been preaching about changing my body since I got here pretty much… I love Chick-Fil-A breakfast, but I had to cut that out,” Lovett said. He was asked about his move to left tackle. “They believed in me before I believed in myself,” Lovett said. He dove into the message this week against Missouri. “How much are you willing to give? It’s getting to the part of the season where people are starting to get banged up a little bit, starting to feel the wear and tear,” Lovett said. Lovett was named SEC offensive lineman of the week as the press conference was happening, so he was able to react to the news in real time. “That’s crazy. I mean it feels good. I’m speechless, but like I said, the goal is the goal. On to the next. The recognition is good, but we’re on a mission.”
NOTABLE QUOTES FROM PLAYERS
Lovett on being ranked in the top 10: “Yeah, I mean, we’re just not going to listen to the noise. On to next week. We had a big win, but I mean it’s past us now. We’re focused on Mizzou.
Lovett on Aaron Philo in the huddle: “He’s a general. He controls it. Like if we’re not locked in, you probably saw some clips on social media where he’s screaming and yelling at us. But like I said, he takes control, and we listen.”
Clark on his parents’ reaction to him moving to America: “My dad was like, you’ve got to go for it. Maybe not so much my mom. I think she wanted me to stay at home. They both know it was an opportunity I couldn’t say no to. Definitely a life-changing experience.”
Clark on Jonathan Galante: “I owe Galante a lot. Taking a shot at someone that he hasn’t even met before, and you know, moved me across the world to scout for him. I absolutely love Galante.”
DJ Coleman on his explosive hit: “Oh yeah, definitely the hardest of my college career.”
Coleman on Sumrall’s intensity: “You can’t ignore it. If you’re not on Coach Sumrall’s level, he’s going to call you out immediately.”
#8 Florida (4-0) will face #25 Missouri (3-1) this Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Video courtesy GatorVision on YouTube
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