Mobile, Ala. – Four Florida football players are set to play in the Panini Senior Bowl on Saturday. The quartet marks the eighth time in program history that four or more Gators have participated in the nation’s premier all-star game.
 
Austin Barber – Offensive Tackle
A multi-year starter for the Gators, Barber has anchored the left side of Florida’s offensive line in every game he’s been available for since the start of the 2023 season (34 games). In 2025, Barber was named third-team All-SEC after playing 750 snaps for the Orange and Blue, finishing with a team-leading 90 run-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Caleb Banks – Defensive Tackle

The only transfer of the group, Banks joined Florida ahead of the 2023 season and immediately made an impact, starting in 11 games for the Gators in his first season. The Detroit, Mich., native set career-highs in tackles (21), sacks (4.5) and forced fumbles (two) across the 2024 campaign. Leading into the 2025 season, Banks was named to the Chuck Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski and Lott IMPACT Award watch lists. Spent most of the season dealing with injury, playing in three games (LSU, Tennessee and Florida State).

Tyreak Sapp – EDGE

Hailing from St. Thomas Aquinas, Sapp joined the Gators as a four-star prospect ahead of the 2021 season. After earning a redshirt his freshman season, Sapp would go on to play in all 49 games he was available for over his next four seasons in Gainesville.

Sapp finished his Gator career with 124 total tackles, 10 sacks, 21.5 tackles-for-loss, four forced fumbles and 72 pressures spread out over 1,426 snaps for the Orange and Blue.

 

Jake Slaughter – Center

Slaughter has served as the Gators’ starting center for the last three seasons, earning eight starts in 2023 and appearing in every game since 2022. The 2025 season saw Slaughter snap the ball 748 times and allowed just one sack, one quarterback hit and two hurries.

One of the most accomplished players in Florida football history, Slaughter, including becoming the 13th offensive lineman in program history to earn first-team All-America honors in 2024 (AP, ESPN, PFF) and first-team All-SEC honors in 2025 (SEC, AP, Phil Steele, PFF), was also named a finalist for the Rimington Trophy this season.

 

Panini Senior Bowl Information

The Panini Senior Bowl is widely recognized as the premier college football all-star game and the official first step in the NFL Draft process. For more than 76 years, Mobile, Ala., has proudly hosted this historic event, the longest continually running all-star game in football. Each year, the Senior Bowl draws more than 900 NFL personnel—including decision-makers from all 32 teams—and over 1,100 members of the national media.

The game’s impact is unmatched: the 2025 NFL Draft featured 106 Senior Bowl alumni, accounting for 40 percent of all selections. At the start of the NFL season, 561 former Senior Bowl players appeared on initial 53-man rosters, representing one-third of the entire NFL and 23 former players appeared on the NFL’s annual Top 100 list.

Fans can catch all the game-day action live on NFL Network or on the SiriusXM app.

2026 Football Season Ticket Deposits

Following 18-straight, sold-out games at The Swamp, fans can now place a deposit for 2026 season tickets and be part of the start of the Coach Sumrall era. The 2026 home schedule features six games against FAU (Sept. 5), Campbell (Sept. 12), Ole Miss (Sept. 26), South Carolina (Oct. 10), Oklahoma (Nov. 7), and Vanderbilt (Nov. 21).

Follow Gators Football on Socials:

Instagram: @GatorsFB

Facebook: @GatorsFB

Join the Conversation: #GoGators