Jon Sumrall Named Inaugural Dodd Trophy Coach of the Month

Florida head coach Jon Sumrall has been named the inaugural Dodd Trophy Coach of the Month for September, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. announced Friday.

Sumrall was selected from the previous month's weekly Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week winners, a group that also included Tony Elliott of Virginia, Joe Harasymiak of UMass, Eric Morris of Oklahoma State and Will Stein of Kentucky.

Four games into his first season in Gainesville, Sumrall has the Gators off to their first 4-0 start since 2019 and their highest AP Poll ranking since 2020. Two of those wins came against SEC opponents — a 44-39 shootout at Auburn and a 52-28 rout of then-No. 4 Ole Miss, Florida's highest-ranked victory since beating No. 3 Ole Miss at the Swamp in 2015.

The Gators' offense has carried the fast start, averaging 53.5 points per game. Sumrall's 214 points scored through four games as head coach is a program record, 50 points ahead of the previous best start. Running back Jadan Baugh has already topped his 2025 touchdown total with 11 scores this season, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, while quarterback Aaron Philo has thrown for seven touchdowns and run for three more.

“The Gators' landmark win over No. 4 Ole Miss caught the eyes of the nation, but Coach Sumrall's team displayed excellence throughout all of September,” Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year Foundation chairman Jim Terry said. “Florida has combined a newly implemented system with much of the on-field talent that showed promise a year ago. We look forward to seeing what new heights this team can reach.”

“It is no small feat for a coach to stand out above his peers as the best in the nation in his first month with a new program,” Peach Bowl, Inc. president and CEO David Epps said. “Coach Sumrall has impressed us all with how quickly he has made Florida a model program, both on and off the field.”

The Dodd Trophy, established to honor the FBS head coach whose program best represents the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, will name its 2026 season winner in Atlanta during Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl week. A panel of past winners, national media, a Dodd family member and a College Football Hall of Fame member selects the finalists.

Florida plays at No. 25 Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 3, looking to stay unbeaten.