5 recruiting questions with Jason Higdon
- Franz Beard
- Apr 29
- 6 min read
“It’s not the Xs and Os, it’s the Jimmys and Joes.” – Darrell Royal
As the month of April comes to a close, has anyone had a better college football recruiting month than Jon Sumrall? He has yet to coach his first game at Florida, but since he was named head coach to replace Billy Napier back in December he is proving to be the relentless recruiter that has been missing at Florida since the first three years of the Will Muschamp era. With only days to salvage the 2026 recruiting class back in December, Sumrall landed a respectable group that On3.com ranked No. 13. He supplemented the freshmen by mining the NCAA transfer portal for experience and depth at key positions, and in doing so has changed perceptions about the direction in which Florida football is going.
Prior to April, Florida’s 2027 class was looking rather grim, but since April 1 Sumrall and his staff have been on a tear, landing seven commitments including 5-star offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller and corner Aamaury Fountain. On3.com currently has the Gators at No. 7 and if Sumrall retains his Midas touch in the months ahead it’s not out of the question for Florida to wind up with its first top five recruiting class since Muschamp did it back-to-back in 2013.
Largely regarded as the single most connected of all the recruiting gurus who focus their attention on the Florida Gators, Jason Higdon of 1standTenFlorida.com gave Gator Bait some insight to how and why Sumrall has Florida taking off like a Space X rocket. Here are five questions with Higdon about Florida’s red hot recruiting pace:
1. At its current pace, does Jon Sumrall’s first full recruiting class have the makings of the best Florida recruiting class since Will Muschamp’s 2012 class, which ranked third nationally?
At 1standTenFlorida.com, we do all of our own rankings for high school football prospects. Head coach Jon Sumrall and the Florida Gators have taken the recruiting world by storm since arriving in Gainesville. The Gators have 10 verbal commitments: 2 five-stars, 7 four-stars, and 1 three-star. It’s very difficult to predict a top 3 class without knowing the full recruiting boards of all the top programs in America, which will ultimately battle it out for the top class in the country this cycle.
FLORIDA COMMIT LIST:
Aamaury Fountain 5-Star CB
Maxwell Hiller 5-Star OT
Amare Nugent 4-Star CB
Jackson Ballinger 4-Star TE
Tramond Collins 4-Star WR
Davin Davidson 4-Star QB
Tommy Douglas 3-Star TE
Anthony Jennings 4-Star WR
De'Voun Kendrick 4-Star DT
Peyton Miller 4-Star OG
Florida has some major targets still left on the board, including my number one overall player in America, regardless of position, defensive tackle Jalen Brewster. The Gators are sitting in a very favorable position with numerous recruits, which is reflected in our RedZone Predictions:
REDZONE WATCH LIST:
Kailib Dillard May, 5th Announcement
Stive-Bentley Keumajou Youndui, May 6th Announcement
I would expect to see this class rank 3-5 if things fall their way down the stretch.
2. What makes Sumrall’s recruiting approach so successful compared to those by McElwain, Mullen, and Napier before him?
Coach Sumrall is very relatable, as is the rest of the staff. One of the most impressive things he has done in his short time in Gainesville is the staff he has assembled. Everywhere you look, you will find major SEC experience and play-calling experience from both the OC and the DC. It doesn't matter where you turn, you will find a very relatable coach or support staff member with an extremely high passion for recruiting. This staff, with its blue-collar mentality, approach to recruiting, honesty, integrity, and an organized plan of attack, has been refreshing to watch and, more importantly, to watch them execute the plan to the fullest of their abilities.
3. Florida’s recruiting at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball has been underwhelming for years. Would you discuss the impact Phil Trautwein has had on the offensive line? And things seem to be picking up with the defensive line recruiting.
Outside of the strength and conditioning hire, the biggest hire, in my opinion, was the announcement of offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. “In Traut We Trust” has echoed all across The Swamp and rightfully so. He has done an outstanding job in his short time back in Gainesville. Gator Nation can expect 4-5 in the offensive line class on National Signing Day. The Gators will have their choice from some very highly rated players.
Offensive Line Prospects to Watch:
Maxwell Hiller, Florida verbal
Peyton Miller, Florida verbal
As good a job as Trautwein has done, defensive line coach Gerald Chatman has been equally impressive in the early stages. De'Voun Kendrick, a 4-star defensive tackle who just recently announced his intentions to join the Gator Nation, has the highest upside of anyone in the Southeast, regardless of position. This was a tremendous addition to the class, program, and community. Stive-Bentley Keumajou Youndui will have his announcement ceremony on May 6th, and I predict he will join the class. He is a big-time interior tackle highly coveted by the Gators.
Defensive Tackle Prospects to Watch:
De'Voun Kendrick, Florida verbal
Jalen Brewster, Texas Tech verbal
4. Sumrall is the head coach, but he seems to have brought in outstanding coordinators. Has the change in coordinators on both sides of the ball had a significant impact on recruiting? Are kids seeing Buster Faulkner’s vision for the offense? And does Brad White resonate with the troops?
Recruiting is and always will be based on relationships, which will never change. We always see factors impacting recruiting, such as NIL, location, and tradition, but at the top of the list will always be about relationships. Both coaches White and Faulkner have that chip on their shoulder they carry from the weight room, practice field, film room, and the classroom. However, the relationships they have forged over the years with families, recruits, high school coaches, and others are paying off for the Gators and Sumrall. Both of these coaches are on the younger side, full of energy, excitement, and passion. That is the biggest difference from top to bottom with this staff vs. previous staffs, other than the Urban Meyer era.
5. The portal has become so important. Do you foresee a time when recruiting is along the lines of 50-50 – 50 percent high school kids and 50 percent veterans from the portal?
Once things start to settle with roster management, the portal numbers will slowly decrease unless you see a mass exodus from the program after the season. This could be caused by numerous factors, but at the top of the list is a head coaching change. Florida and many other programs will use the portal to fill gaps and voids left by players entering the portal, leaving the team in a bad spot at that position.
Recruiting rankings by year for each UF coach from 2010-2027
From 1990-2010, the Florida Gators were the winningest program in all of college football (210-57-1). During that time the Gators won three national championships, eight SEC titles and were a constant in the top ten end of the year rankings. Since Urban Meyer retired after the 2010 season, the Gators have gone through four head coaches whose combined record was 118-84.
Much of Florida’s inability to win at a championship level can be attributed to recruiting. With the exception of Muschamp, who was a brilliant recruiter, the year-by-year recruiting rankings show why there has been such a decline in winning.
Will Muschamp: (10) 2011; (3) 2012; (3) 2013; (8) 2014
Jim McElwain: (28) 2015; (16) 2016; (10) 2017
Dan Mullen: (16) 2018; (11) 2019; (8) 2020; (13) 2021
Billy Napier: (14) 2022; (13) 2023; (10) 2024; (10) 2025
Jon Sumrall: (13) 2026; * (7) 2027
* Class is ongoing
great stuff