Jon Sumrall certainly didn't sound like a Florida consolation prize
- Franz Beard
- Dec 1, 2025
- 7 min read
“I’m built for this job. I was made for this job. Winners win. I’m a winner. We’re gonna win.” – Jon Sumrall
Those weren’t the boastful words of a coach trying to convince everyone including himself that he is capable of handling the pressure that comes with the territory when the job is to restore to greatness a formerly great football program. At his introductory press conference Monday afternoon, Sumrall came across confident, capable and ever so well prepared.
He certainly didn’t sound like a consolation prize. Like everyone else on the planet, Sumrall is well aware that Lane Kiffin was Florida’s first choice but the Gators chose to end their courtship of Kiffin Friday and instead wrap up Sumrall to the tune of six years and $45 million. Lane might have been the first choice for the better part of a month, but Sumrall might very well turn out to be the best choice over the long haul.
Lane has this habit of scorched earth exits and he’s never won a conference championship despite seven seasons of 10 or more wins in 14 seasons as a head coach. Sumrall (42-11) is in his fourth year as a head coach – the first two at Troy, the last two at Tulane – and he’s put his team in the conference championship game every single year.
Sure, it’s not at the SEC level, but not even Nick Saban or Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer did that well in their first four years as a head coach. Spurrier and Urban, by the way, were at the Monday press conference in which Sumrall was officially announced as Florida’s 31st head football coach and the successor to Billy Napier, fired after taking the Gators to three losing seasons in four years on the job.
Florida has actually had six losing seasons since Meyer retired from the UF job after the 2010 season. Much more like that and the Gators could find themselves in a hole that will take decades to dig out of. Sumrall has a plan to win immediately but he knows that life in the Southeastern Conference is a minefield.
“I know what we're in for,” Sumrall said. “Like I said earlier, I'm built for it. This is what I've wanted to do my entire life.”
He also knows that until he’s proven he can win on college football’s biggest stage there will be doubters. It’s one thing to win championships in the Sun Belt or American Conference; it’s something altogether different to win them in the SEC.
“It's the closest thing you get to the National Football League,” he said.
And he is right. All you have to do is check the NFL Draft every year. The SEC has more players drafted every year by a comfortable margin over the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and other conferences.
Since one-platoon football was dropped after the 1963 season, six SEC schools have won a national championship – Alabama (12), Florida (3), Georgia (3), LSU (3), Auburn (1) and Tennessee (1). It can be done here at Florida but it will take a rebuild that starts with Sumrall convincing a significant number of current Gators to stick it out rather than test the waters of the portal.
“It starts with our current team,” Sumrall said. “I just got the chance to meet with those guys. Retention in these days of the college football world is the most important thing to build a team. We need those guys to stay, and that's the first recruiting effort I have.”
National signing day is Wednesday and he hopes to convince a good many of the kids who committed to Billy Napier to stay the course and stick with the Gators. The portal will also factor in how the roster is built, but Sumrall would prefer to cherry pick good players from the portal rather than make that the main source of talent.
Tulane is in the American Conference championship game thanks to a plug and play quarterback from the portal. When Darian Mensah took a multi-million offer to play at Duke, Sumrall landed Jake Retzlaff from BYU, who has passed for 14 touchdowns and run for 14 more.
That’s the way Sumrall intends to use the portal.
“We will use the portal to enhance our team and to supplement where there may be holes or deficiencies,” he said. “We're going to run a player-driven program.”
However Sumrall decides to build his roster, he has an impatient fan base that has grown weary of losing seasons and the decline of the program since Meyer retired from UF. There have been sparks of hope that never caught fire and sustained winning.
Sumrall made it abundantly clear that he is as impatient as the Florida fan base.
“We're going to do everything we can to win fast,” he said. “I have a plan for how we can win long-term, but I want to win tomorrow and today and every day. I already referenced my son. He's 12. When we play basketball in the backyard, he gets his butt kicked because I want to win. I'm not very patient.
“I respect the Florida fan base is not patient. They want to win right now, too. You've got the right coach. I'm wired that way. I'm not comfortable having a plan to win in eight years. I want to win tomorrow.”
That doesn’t sound much like a consolation prize.
Associated Press top 25: 1. Ohio State 12-0; 2. Indiana 12-0; 3. Georgia 11-1; 4. Oregon 11-1; 5. Texas Tech 11-1; 6. Ole Miss 11-1; 7. Texas A&M 11-1; 8. Oklahoma 10-2; 9. Notre Dame 10-2; 10. Alabama 10-2; 11. BYU 11-1; 12. Miami 10-2; 13. Vanderbilt 10-2; 14. Texas 9-3; 15. Utah 10-2; 16. Virginia 10-2; 17. Southern California 9-3; 18. Michigan 9-3; 19. James Madison 11-1; 20. North Texas 11-1; 21. Tulane 10-2; 22. Arizona 9-3; 23. Navy 9-2; 24. Georgia Tech 9-3; 25. Missouri 8-4
AFCA Coaches top 25: 1. Ohio State 12-0; 2. Indiana 12-0; 3. Georgia 11-1; 4. Oregon 11-1; 5. Texas Tech 11-1; 6. Ole Miss 11-1; 7. Texas A&M 11-1; 8. Oklahoma 10-2; 9. Notre Dame 10-2; 10. Alabama 10-2; 11. BYU 11-1; 12. Vanderbilt 10-2; 13. Miami 10-2; 14. Texas 9-3; 15. Utah 10-2; 16. Virginia 10-2; 17. Southern California 9-3; 18. Michigan 9-3; 20. North Texas 11-1; 21. Tulane 10-2; 22. Arizona 9-3; 23.Georgia Tech 9-3; 24. Tennessee 8-4; 25. Navy 9-2
COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: DECEMBER 1, EDITION
THE RECYCLE BIN
James Franklin, Virginia Tech: He will be a good fit for Virginia Tech where expectations aren’t nearly as high as they are in Happy Valley.
EXTINCT SPECIES LIST
Mark Stoops, Kentucky: The fine folks in the Bluegrass are willing to pony up $38 million and Stoops will take it in incremental payments. Meanwhile, Kentucky needs a brand new coach.
Billy Napier, Florida: The Gators chased after Lane Kiffin but ended up hiring Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, which general consensus is a rather good hire. Napier is being paid $20 million to not coach the Gators. Figure he will emerge in the Group of Five.
Brian Kelly, LSU: Kelly got $54 million when fired. He originally signed a 10-year, $100 million contract. LSU is paying Lane Kiffin $90 million over seven years. Kelly wants to coach again. He’ll get the chance.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn: South Florida coach Alex Golesh was hired Sunday. Golesh took South Florida to a 9-3 record this year and 23-15 in three. His massive rebuild makes USF a very favorable situation for whoever replaces him. Watch Hugh land a job somewhere at a Group of Five school.
Sam Pittman, Arkansas: Arkansas whiffed on Rhett Lashlee (stayed at SMU) and Eric Morris (North Texas to Oklahoma State) but hired Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield on Sunday. Silverfield is 8-4 in 2025, but won 21 games in the previous two seasons.
James Franklin, Penn State: Matt Rhule is staying at Nebraska. Fired New York Giants coach Brian Daboll seems to be the hot ticket item.
Jonathan Smith, Michigan State: They are already moving fast to get a deal done with former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: The replacement is Eric Morris, who has taken North Texas to an 11-1 record and the American Conference championship game.
Brent Pry, Virginia Tech: Replaced by James Franklin.
DeShaun Foster, UCLA: Indiana hit the jackpot with James Madison coach Curt Cignetti. UCLA is trying the same formula. New coach is Bob Chesney, Cignetti’s replacement coach at JMU.
Jay Norvell, Colorado State: Replaced by UConn coach Jim Mora, who has taken UConn to consecutive 9-win seasons.
Justin Wilcox, California: The Golden Bears responded to his firing by beating SMU and knocking the Mustangs out of the ACC championship game.
Trent Bray, Oregon State: The replacement coach is JaMarcus Shepherd, the co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Alabama.
Trent Dilfer, UAB: SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods is the person of interest.
ON LIFE SUPPORT
Dell McGee, Georgia State: The Panthers went 1-11. It seems a matter of when not if Georgia State pulls the plug.
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: He’s safe for now, but back-to-back losing seasons require winning big in 2026.
ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST
Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee: If they had enough money to fire him he would be gone.
Shane Beamer, South Carolina: Staff overhaul is a requirement. Super hot seat for 2026.
Joe Moorhead, Akron: He won five games which is the equivalent of Alabama winning 15. He stays on the hot seat.
Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech: A 7-5 record buys him a year but Louisiana Tech steps up next year to the Sun Belt.
Jay Sawvel, Wyoming: He sits on a very hot seat but he’ll get next year to turn things around.
I am behind Coach Sumrall 100%. That said, if we are to take ESPN's pundits (and many others) seriously, we have Scott Stricklin to thank yet again, for thwarting the will of Gator nation. This is at least the third time. He's doing this with our tax money and our alumni contributions. Kiffin truly was ready to come last season before Stricklin wrote a letter of support for Billy and, unfathomably to rational, reasonable Gator fans secured a major upgrade to his contract. That came after ignoring Dan Mullen's recommendation the AD hire Kiffin as his replacement. UFathletics cannot be Scott Stricklin's fiefdom. Scott Stricklin and his administrative supporters need to be held accountable for their actions and, if appropriate,…
The contrast between today’s roughly 45 minutes with Jon Sumrall, animated and energetic, and the serious, somber and low-key introduction of Billy Napier four years ago couldn’t have been more definitive. Napier ended his introductory words by warning that building Florida back into a national power would take much longer than most Gator fans would like. Well, thanks to Billy he got that right. Sumrall instead struck the match that lit the fireworks today. We got a winner!
I wasw critical of the hire- then when I watched the presser I was blown away - I think we hit a homerun
Glad you hear you approve , Franz . I’m sure it’s different in person than the snippets we get online.
Welcome ,Coach and let’s go!
Poor Vandy went from 12 to 13 after stomping the Vols, and Miami moved up to the 12 spot. These twits just HAD to find a way to get Miami in. Disgusting