Date set for Orange & Blue Game, Florida Gators spring practices
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Dates for the Florida football team’s spring practice schedule, including the 2024 Orange & Blue Game, have been set, Gators Online has learned.
After holding the spring game on Thursday night in 2022 and 2023, it will take place on Saturday this year. The 2024 Orange & Blue Game is scheduled for April 13 at 1 p.m.
That will be the third of three scrimmages for the Gators. They will hold their first scrimmage March 30 and the second scrimmage April 6, both on Saturdays.
The UF players report for spring ball during the first week of March and the first practice will be held on Thursday, March 7.
Florida will practice on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during spring camp, except for a Friday session on April 5. The team will be off for spring break, March 10-16.
New faces for Gators in 2024
Florida’s spring roster will feature a total of 29 new scholarship players, including 19 high school recruits and a total of 10 transfers.
The Gators’ 2024 class ranks No. 14 in the On3 Industry Team Rankings, but they rank No. 8 nationally in average player rating (90.94).
After National Signing Day in December, Gators Online sat down for an exclusive interview with UF director of player personnel Jacob LaFrance, who evaluated the 2024 class, the biggest position of need, Florida’s roster and more.
“The kids that did sign, they believe in the direction we’re going to take this place, and that’s what we feel good about,” LaFrance said. “You have the faith that they are about the right things, and they truly believe in what we’re about. Not only are they good players and we got a bunch of good players signed, but they’re the right type of people. And that’s what — when we first got here — was such a struggle. And we feel like the last couple classes, we’ve really started to add those kinds of players.
“You even saw it this year. It didn’t necessarily equate to wins, but what it did equate to was you saw the competitiveness in every game and them not quit. They competed and showed up every week after week after week and lost some close games down the stretch. But, the character makeup of the team was what you wanted. The togetherness. And so, I think that’s where that will eventually pay off into wins.”
![Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) hauls in a pass while taking balls from a throwing machine during University of Florida Gators’ Spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 28, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/08/01212103/Untitled-design-80.png)
