The Florida Gators look to truly put a scary, disappointing 2020 season behind them when they hit the practice floor for the first time Tuesday afternoon.

The Gators fell short of expectations in 2020-21, largely due to losing the SEC Preseason Player of the Year in December. Florida will again be without Keyontae Johnson in 2021-22, but they have a

After welcoming in one freshman and four transfers, Florida will have an entirely new roster this season. The transfer portal is changing the way college coaches operate. Through the portal, White will have the oldest team he's had since arriving in Gainesville. Adding two graduate transfers, a senior, and a junior will give Florida a team that has a lot of experience, they just need to gel quickly.

"I liked the roster on paper. Oldest team we've had, again a really good passing team. Hopefully, we can be better defensively, Hopefully, we can stay healthy. Those are all big factors. Gotta make shots of course. We've got a really demanding schedule, as we do every year, but, you know, we had three guys go pro, we had four in the portal," White said. "There were, I believe, 85 in the portal from our league. It's very, very prevalent throughout the SEC, throughout college basketball, it's a big part of what we do. Whether you've got guys leaving your roster or joining your roster, I thought that this staff did a really good job in the spring, adding four transfers out of the portal that are good players, and good people, competitive, they're learning, and they're all gonna instantly impact this program.”

While Keyontae Johnson remains with the team he has not been cleared to return to practice or play for the Gators.

Johnson was at picture day with the team and remains fully engaged in the day-to-day proceedings.

"That's who he is. He was at pictures yesterday, of course. He was down there today. He's in my ear a bunch with certain drills or certain things he notices. We lost a team free-throw shooting competition and he said, 'Coach, I think we need to up the ante here and double down and we turn this 22 into a 44, let's run it back.' I said, 'That's a great point, let's do it.' He's got a good pulse as to what's going on with these guys."

Colin Castleton took full advantage of the NCAA's rule that allows a student-athlete to test the NBA Draft waters and still return to school. Castleton had workouts all over the country for numerous teams before ultimately returning to school for his senior season.

Part of the process is to find out what you need to work on and nothing Castellon was told came as a surprise.

"Getting stronger, putting a little more weight on, getting a little more sturdy, show that I can stretch the floor and show a little but more of my skillset," he said. "I’ve always been able to work on, worked over the summer, and just ready to show it.”

One of the added benefits is truly having a professional schedule. That means getting on planes and working out in the same day. It's a time where you can solely focus on basketball and a first look into the life of being a professional.

“It was great. I cherished every moment. The layovers, the connecting flights, the missed flights, whatever they may be. It was great. I enjoyed it a lot," Castleton said. "I met a lot of great people. I learned a lot of things that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t go through the process. I worked out for a bunch of different teams. I met a bunch of different NBA players and pros, watched them work out. I took a lot from how to be a pro and how to approach the game and certain things like that."