Controversy, Kiffin and Sumrall: Florida hired the right football coach

Florida has a No. 1 quarterback, as good a running back as you will find in all of college football, a wide receiver corps that might be as good as there is in the SEC, five offensive linemen who are finding a groove, some guys on the edge who can get after the quarterback, some studs at linebacker and a secondary that is long on potential but needing to grow up in a hurry. Jon Sumrall seems to have the Gators exactly where he wants them to be. There is an air of confidence about Sumrall and it is contagious because Florida fans are feeling this might be the guy who can lead the Gators out of their 15-year descent into life among the mediocre and back to consistent dwelling in the Southeastern Conference high rent district.

Breathing fresh air into the Florida program was what Sumrall was hired to do and so far he has exceeded expectations. Best of all, he’s made most Florida fans forget that the coach they wanted most after Billy Napier was pink slipped is busy stirring up controversy in Baton Rouge. If Gator fans didn’t sour on Lane Kiffin the way he strung three schools along – Ole Miss, Florida and LSU – before signing a mega deal to coach LSU, then they certainly have concluded Florida dodged a bullet by coming in second in that hiring cycle.

The record at two previous head coaching stops (Troy and Tulane, 43-12) tells us that Jon Sumrall is nobody’s consolation prize. He is a coach confident enough in his own skin that he surrounds himself with capable people, not a bunch of yes men. Everything about Sumrall creates a measure of faith that winning football will be back in vogue in Gainesville.

Meanwhile, there is Lane Kiffin. He’s going to win in Baton Rouge. Bet the ranch on it, but with Lane and winning comes the baggage. They love him in Baton Rouge. He’s despised everywhere else, not that he really cares. If you have followed his career it is almost as if Lane needs to be the irritant that creates ill will. He means no harm by it, but that’s his nature. The more his mouth roars, the more he endears himself to his own fan base and people everywhere else hate him. Somehow, someway it emboldens him to embrace the very next controversy that comes his way.

Right now he’s got Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, the presidents and AD’s of the SEC and commissioners from the other power conferences in a dither all because he’s trying to bring in at least two players (tight end DaeQuan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavier Harris) off NFL rosters to play for the Tigers this year. Add to that Will Wade, LSU’s rogue of a basketball coach, signing RJ Luis, the former Big East Player of the Year who has spent the last two years playing in the G-League on an NBA two-way contract.

With the backing of all 16 presidents and athletic directors in the SEC, including LSU president Wade Rousse, Sankey issued an edict Tuesday night that prohibits any school in the conference from bringing in players who have signed a contract with an NFL, NBA, G-League or WNBA team or who have been listed on their rosters. Sankey announced there will be harsh penalties for defiance that will be announced sooner rather than later. Some have suggested the penalties will involve suspending the coaches for up to half a season and fining the athletic department of the violating institution millions of dollars.

We will find out quickly just how much power Rousse has over his football and basketball coaches. Will they submit to higher authorities or will they continue with their business as usual approaches? Will they lawyer up and fight the SEC and the NCAA in court?

Because Lane Kiffin is involved this will be a bigger than life story that seems to fuel his competitive fires, but there are two sides to every story. If Kiffin chooses to die on this hill, the repercussions against LSU could linger for years into the future. Lane, of course, will milk the controversy for everything it’s worth but at what cost?

Meanwhile, things are rather quiet on the Florida football front where Jon Sumrall is taking a day-by-day approach to rebuilding the Gators into a championship contender. A dodged bullet never looked so good.

COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: AUGUST 26, 2026 EDITION

Extinct Species List

None yet, but it’s early. Prediction: at least one coach will get the axe prior to October 15.

On Life Support

Mike Norvell, Florida State: Seminole fans wanted him gone last year but couldn’t afford the buyout money. To fire him this year would still cost more than $50 million but if FSU posts a third straight losing season they’ll hold bake sales and car washes to raise the funds necessary to fire him. To lift the Seminoles out of the doldrums, Norvell brought in former Stanford QB Ashton Daniels, who might have had an impressive moment in his career although no one can recall exactly when that was. Week two against SMU and week three at Alabama will say a lot about the direction the Seminoles are headed.

Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: This was thought to be a no-brainer hire when Wisconsin lured Fickell from Cincinnati where he went 57-18. He’s 17-21 at Wisconsin and the Badgers are predicted to finish among Big Ten bottom feeders. It doesn’t help matters at all that the first game of the season is Notre Dame at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The buyout is somewhere in the neighborhood of $22-24 million. The faithful are asking what the hell were we thinking when we fired Paul Chryst, who was 67-26 during his tenure.

Dave Aranda, Baylor: A year ago, DJ Lagway was charged with saving Billy Napier’s job at Florida. This year DJ is at Baylor, charged with saving Dave Aranda’s job. Things will cool off for awhile at least if DJ lights up Auburn week one in Atlanta. If Auburn torches Baylor, however, new AD Doug McNamee will be flooded with phone calls from folks asking if they need to punch an oil well in their back yard to help fund the buyout (approximately $10 million).

Bill Belichick, North Carolina: This experiment has gone south in a hurry. The Tar Heel faithful are ready to pull the plug on one more dumb hire. There is a new sheriff in town, too, and that doesn’t bode well for Belichick, who doesn’t have Bubba Cunningham around to protect him anymore. New AD Steve Newmark has no ties to the Belichick hire. If the Tar Heels lose to TCU Saturday in Ireland, the wildfire devastating Reno is going to seem like a single candle compared to the wrath of the powder blue folks who still can’t believe Duke won the ACC last year.

Mike Locksley, Maryland: He’s gone back-to-back 4-8, picked 14^th in the Big Ten (Plus Eight) and all the good will of three straight bowl games (2021-23) has ridden off into the sunset. Circle September 19 on your calendar. If Maryland goes down in flames to Virginia Tech, coached by former Penn State HBC and one-time Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin, buzzards will be seen circling the Maryland football complex. He will have a chance to redeem himself, however, because the Terps only game against a big time opponent is at Ohio State. No Oregon and no Indiana on the schedule. The buyout is $10 million, not much but Maryland’s athletic department is deeply in debt.

Bill O’Brien, Boston College: They’re not happy in Chestnut Hill after O’Brien piloted BC to a 2-10 last year. This year he’s trying to right a listing ship with Mason McKenzie, who was last seen quarterbacking Saginaw Valley State to a 7-4 record in 2025. They have champagne tastes at BC but only enough money for a six-pack of Mickey Malt and not much of football tradition in the 86 years since Frank Leahy was the HBC. O’Brien needs a minimum of seven wins to save his job.

Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee State: He has never won and odds are he never will. He’s 6-18 in two seasons at MTSU without a win over a team that finished with a winning record. This isn’t rock bottom but there are signs in Murfreesboro that can get you there in 15 minutes.  

Dell McGee, Georgia State: There is enough talent in the Atlanta Metro area that no coach at Georgia State should ever post a losing record. McGee inherited a team that went 7-6 in 2024 and in two seasons has plunged the Panthers to the lower realms of the Sun Belt Conference.

Endangered Species List

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: He’s not going to be fired even if he turns in another 4-loss season (two in a row so far). The reason is a $63 million buyout. Even a school with deep football pockets like Alabama gulps at the thought of spending that much to fire one coach and needing at least that much to hire someone new. By SEC standards, Bama has a cupcake schedule. The only contenders are Georgia, Texas A&M and LSU. The Tide faces Georgia and the Aggies in Tuscaloosa.

Shane Beamer, South Carolina: There were high hopes when the Gamecocks went 9-4 in 2024, but last year’s 4-8 record hasn’t settled well with the faithful. Mike Shula was fired as the OC and Kendal Briles brought in to take advantage of the enormous talents of LaNorris Sellers. He has to face Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma and Clemson on the road. At home he gets Tennessee, Texas and Georgia. The schedule says 6-6 will be a near miracle.

Lincoln Riley, Southern California: Let’s start with the obvious. The buyout is $60 million so unless the Trojans tank the entire season, Riley will be back to coach another year. Nobody is happy with him in LA-LA Land. They would be exceedingly joyful if someone offered Linc a job somewhere else and he took it. Hold onto that thought. It just might happen.

Matt Rhule, Nebraska: Consecutive 7-6 seasons have the Husker faithful believing once again, but the schedule includes  a gauntlet of Indiana, Oregon and Washington and a late season close out with Ohio State and Iowa. A 7-5 record might be an accomplishment, but Nebraska fans believe the right coach could bring back the glory days of Dr. Tom Osborne.

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati: Luke Fickell went 57-18 before Satterfield arrived. Satterfield is 15-22. Nobody is happy in Cincinnati. Satterfield might need eight wins to survive but at least he has a schedule conducive to a winning season. Buyout money is in the $12 million neighborhood.