Gators announce date for spring football game
The Florida football team will hold its first spring game in three years this April.
The 2022 Orange and Blue Game is scheduled for April 16 at 1 p.m., first-year coach Billy Napier announced Monday.
More details about the game, including streaming and broadcast information and fan initiatives will be announced at a later time.
The Gators had their spring game canceled in 2020, along with every practice, due to COVID-19. The team held spring practices last year, but the final scrimmage didn’t take place in front of fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
UF athletics director Scott Stricklin explained the decision in a statement last February.
“Hosting fans for an intra-squad spring football scrimmage seems unwise given all the circumstances, including the fact that Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is being used as a large scale COVID testing and vaccination site,” Stricklin said.
The spring game on April 16 will be the first opportunity for Florida fans to get a glimpse of Napier, his coaching staff and the 2021 football team. Some of the top returning players include quarterbacks Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson, wide receiver Justin Shorter and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter.
