Five Gators Named to 2026 Senior Bowl Top 300 List

Those five are wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant, defensive lineman Caleb Banks, edge Tyreak Sapp and offensive linemen Jake Slaughter and Austin Barber.  

This list originally began with over 2,000 prospects that the Senior Bowl scouting department was looking at before eventually slashing it down to 300 players. 

Sturdivant, Banks, Sapp, Slaughter and Barber are all entering their fifth and final season of eligibility.

Slaughter and Barber will be leading a seasoned Gators offensive line in 2025. Each has more than 1,300 career snaps, with Barber logging 1,870 snaps and Slaughter totaling 1,325 snaps. 

Moreover, Florida’s starting center has developed into one of the best in the country at his position. 

“Jake's the next one. I think he has earned every single thing that he has got, and he is an absolute top leader on our team and sets the tone and the pace every day,” Gators head coach Billy Napier said during fall camp. 

Slaughter has been nominated to the Lombardi Award, Rimington Trophy and Outland Trophy Watch Lists heading into the 2025 season. He is also off the back of being named an AP first team All-American and AP first team All-SEC. 

Two of the leaders on the other side in the trenches are Banks and Sapp. 

The former has blossomed into a potential Day One NFL Draft pick thanks to a strong run to end the season. 

His two best games of the 2024 campaign came in Florida’s back-to-back wins over ranked opponents. Against LSU, he had three total tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Then, playing against Ole Miss the following week, Banks logged four total tackles and 2.5 sacks.  

In Sapp’s case, he was one of the best edge rushers for the Gators last year. He recorded 47 total tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss, seven sacks and two forced fumbles. 

His all-around work for the Gators' defense a year ago was noticeable from the jump, and his team will need more of it if they want to continue their good work on that side of the ball. However, Banks has no worries about his teammates' abilities.  

“Tyreak Sapp can go out there and play whatever he want, he’ll even drop into coverage,” Banks said. “He a dog, he can go out there and do anything.” 

Lastly, Sturdivant is one of the more veteran receivers for the Gators this season. Before his move to Gainesville, he spent his first two years of college with the Cal Golden Bears and his next two after that with the UCLA Bruins. 

These five will kick their season off against LIU on Aug. 30.

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