The Gator Nation received its very first look at the 2024 edition of the Florida football team on Saturday inside the Swamp as the Blue team prevailed over the Orange team, 19-17, in the annual Orange and Blue game.

While it is difficult to derive any long-term takeaways from the intrasquad scrimmage, it still gives a glimpse at the potential the team might have in store. UF legend Steve Spurrier took to the airwaves with Jacksonville sports radio 1010XL to weigh in with his prognostications for the team.

“Well, we’re going to find out again this year I guess. I mean, anticipation and expectations are about the same as last year. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. (Billy Napier’s) got a bunch of new coaches, seems like they’re going to be more demanding, make the guys more accountable,” Spurrier said.

“Seems like the leadership of Graham Mertz and some of those other guys is going to be there. So, schedule’s tough, but, you know, everybody’s got a tough schedule now just about in the SEC. So, we’ll wait and see. I picked them to go 8-4 and win a bowl game, and if we do that, we can do cartwheels and somersaults around here. We’ll be a happy bunch of Gators.”

Keep in mind Spurrier is a paid ambassador for the program and has been featured in advertisements for the name, image and likeness licensing collective Florida Victorious. In addition to his already biased opinion, his prediction should be taken with a few grains of salt.

Nonetheless, he is 100% correct that Gainesville would be elated with an 8-4 finish.

Florida kicks off its 2024 regular-season schedule on Aug. 31 against the Miami Hurricanes inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators open their SEC schedule with the Texas A&M Aggies arriving in the Swamp on Sept. 14.

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