Thoughts of the Day: June 4, 2026

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday afternoon:

Back in the 1960s, Bear Bryant labeled Florida football a “sleeping giant.” Since then there have been pockets of success when the Gators were indeed gigantic. From 1990-2010 no one won as many games as the Gators – 210-51-1 record, 17 more wins than second place Ohio State; 18 more than Florida State and 19 more than Miami. Not a single losing season during that time, three national championships and eight SEC titles.

In the 15 years since, the giant that was is sleeping again. Florida is 107-79 since with only three trips (all losses to Alabama) to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. Florida has recorded losing seasons in 2013, 2017, 2021-23 and 2025. Four coaches have come and gone – Will Muschamp (2011-14), Jim McElwain (2015-17), Dan Mullen (2018-21) and Billy Napier (2022-25).

So what happened? Bad decisions by the coaches have a lot to do with it. Muschamp didn’t have a decent offensive coordinator until his last year and by then it was too late. McElwain was in way over his head and then he tried to lie his way out of it. Mullen held on to some assistants way too long and had others on his staff that had no business coaching at an SEC school. Napier was too arrogant to turn the play calling over to a competent assistant coach and he made rotten decisions when it came to assistants. Does the name Austin Armstrong ring a bell?

As important as the decision-making is recruiting. With the exception of Muschamp’s 2012 and 2013 classes, both of which ranked No. 3 nationally, and his final class (2014) that ranked No. 9, Florida recruiting has gone into hibernation. With the exception of his 2001 class that ranked 47^th, Steve Spurrier’s classes routinely ranked in the top five. His 1999 class was No. 1 and 2000 was No. 2. Ron Zook’s first class (2002) was 10^th, his next two No. 1 (2003) and No. 5 (2004). Urban Meyer’s first class (2005) was No. 12, followed by classes that were ranked No. 2, No. 1, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 1.

McElwain’s three classes: No. 21 (2015), No. 12 (2016) and No. 11 (2017).

Mullen’s four classes: No. 14 (2018), No. 9 (2019), No. 8 (2020) and No. 12 (2021).

Napier’s four classes: No. 17 (2022), No. 13 (2023), No. 13 (2024) and No. 9 (2025).

Now recruiting has certainly changed during this era. NIL and changes in the transfer portal have in some cases made high school recruiting less relevant. Lane Kiffin got it done at Ole Miss with wholesale dipping into the portal for talent, but it’s hard to imagine portal-based recruiting building a sustainable foundation for the future.

The approach taken by Jon Sumrall lends hope that the Gators have a head coach who understands the need to fill holes in the roster through the portal but stakes future success on awakening Florida’s sleeping recruiting giant. It is worth noting that with barely three weeks to work at Florida while still prepping Tulane for the American Conference championship and College Football Playoff, Sumrall held on to 16 of the 18 players who had committed to Napier. Florida’s recruiting class ranked 17^th.

Fast forward five months and Sumrall seems to be getting that first full recruiting class bounce that Zook, Meyer and Muschamp got. With the commitment of 4-star offensive tackle Kenedee Jackson (6-6, 301, Lithonia, GA) and 3-star defensive end Zahmar Tookes (6-4, 265, Rochester, NY Brighton) this week, the Gators have vaulted to No. 5 in the 247Sports and On3 recruiting rankings. Even before Jackson and Tookes committed, ESPN ranked the Gators No. 4. Should the Gators flip 5-star defensive tackle Jalen Brewster (6-3, 307, Cedar Hill, TX) from Texas Tech and 5-star wide receiver Easton Royal (5-11, 189, New Orleans, LA Brother Martin) from Texas it is entirely possible for Florida to move further up the rankings. The Gators are very much in the mix to land 4-star corner Kamauri Whitfield (5-11, 193, Orlando, FL The First Academy), 4-star defensive end Cahron Wheeler (6-5, 250, Baltimore, MD St. Paul School), 4-star linebacker Ellis McGaskin (5-11, 220, Mobile, AL Williamson) and 4-star safety Kamarion Johnson (6-0, 189, Homerville, GA Clinch County). Johnson and Wheeler are in Gainesville this weekend for an official visit.

This is the best recruiting showing by any coach since Muschamp. It’s too early to determine if Sumrall can sustain the success he’s currently having, but recruiting seems to spread like a wildfire. When Zook, Meyer and Muschamp got hot they were able to build upon the foundation to leave an abundance of talent behind. Napier did not leave Sumrall an overall abundance, but Sumrall hasn’t complained. Instead, he’s just gone to work and the results have been promising.  

Rivals top 30 recruiting classes (SEC teams bold face): 1. Texas A&M; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Miami; 4. Texas Tech; 5. FLORIDA; 6. Notre Dame; 7. Ohio State; 8. Southern Cal; 9. Oregon; 10. Michigan; 11. Clemson; 12. UCLA; 13. LSU; 14. Auburn; 15. Texas; 16. Ole Miss; 17. Penn State; 18. Nebraska; 19. Virginia Tech; 20. Washington; 21. California; 22. Georgia; 23. Kentucky; 24. Louisville; 25. Wisconsin; 26. Alabama; 27. Minnesota; 28. South Carolina; 29. Missouri; 30. Tennessee. Other SEC schools and schools of interest: 32. Vanderbilt; 41. Florida State; 47. Mississippi State; 50. Arkansas; 63. UCF; 82. South Florida; 86. Florida Atlantic; 88. Florida International

247Sports top 30 recruiting classes: 1. Texas A&M; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Miami; 4. Notre Dame; 5. FLORIDA; 6. Clemson; 7. Penn State; 8. UCLA; 9. Virginia Tech; 10. Southern Cal; 11. Ohio State; 12. Minnesota; 13. Kentucky; 14. Michigan; 15. Oregon; 16. Washington; 17. California; 18. Wisconsin; 19. Auburn; 20. Ole Miss; 21. Louisville; 22. Pittsburgh; 23. Georgia; 24. Texas Tech; 25. Houston; 26. Texas; 27. West Virginia; 28. Nebraska; 29. Missouri; 30. Syracuse. Other SEC schools and schools of interest: 36. South Carolina; 39. Tennessee; 41. Vanderbilt; 46. Alabama; 47. Arkansas; 49. Mississippi State; 51. Florida State; 53. LSU; 59. UCF; 84. South Florida; 88. Florida Atlantic

ATHLON, SPORTING NEWS PRESEASON TOP 25

Athlon top 25: 1. Ohio State; 2. Georgia; 3. Texas; 4. Notre Dame; 5. Indiana; 6. Oregon; 7. Miami; 8. Oklahoma; 9. Texas A&M; 10. LSU; 11. Ole Miss; 12. Texas Tech; 13. Michigan; 14. Southern Cal; 15. Alabama; 16. BYU; 17. Washington; 18. Penn State; 19. Houston; 20. Utah; 21. Tennessee; 22. SMU; 23. Louisville; 24. Boise State; 25. Iowa

Sporting News top 25: 1. Indiana; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. Texas; 5. Notre Dame; 6. Oregon; 7. Miami; 8. Ole Miss; 9. Oklahoma; 10. Southern Cal; 11. Texas A&M; 12. Alabama; 13. Michigan; 14. LSU;15. BYU; 16. Utah; 17. Penn State; 18. Iowa; 19. Louisville; 20. Texas Tech; 21. Houston; 22. Illinois; 23. SMU; 24. Washington; 25. Virginia Tech

ATHLON, SPORTING NEWS PRESEASON SEC RANKINGS

Athlon: 1. Georgia; 2. Texas; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Texas A&M; 5. LSU; 6. Ole Miss; 7. Alabama; 8. Tennessee; 9. FLORIDA; 10. South Carolina; 11. Missouri; 12. Auburn; 13. Mississippi State; 14. Vanderbilt; 15. Kentucky; 16. Arkansas

Sporting News: 1. Georgia; 2. Texas; 3. Ole Miss; 4. Oklahoma; 5. Texas A&M; 6. Alabama; 7. LSU; 8. Missouri; 9. Tennessee; 10. Vanderbilt; 11. FLORIDA; 12. South Carolina; 13. Auburn; 14. Mississippi State; 15. Kentucky; 16. Arkansas

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The commissioner of the Mid-America Conference (MAC), John Steinbrecher teed off on the four power conferences Wednesday, the same day the commissioners of the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences issued a joint statement opposed to the Protect College Sports Act, which, if enacted by Congress, offers radical changes such as pooling media rights.

First the SEC/Big Ten statement: “The Big Ten Conference and the Southeastern Conference support a sustainable national framework for college sports – one with an effective transfer portal, clear eligibility standards, and protections and benefits for student-athletes. While we appreciate the leadership of Senators (Ted) Cruz (R-TX) and (Maria) Cantwell (D-WA) in pursuing these shared goals, we do not support the Protect College Sports Act as drafted.

“The bill leaves critical issues unresolved. It does not meaningfully preempt the patchwork of state laws or provide the protections needed to make and enforce consistent rules, both essential to long-term stability in college athletics. It also shifts ongoing rulemaking to Congress, limiting the ability to adapt quickly as the landscape evolves. Rather than reducing litigation, the bill likely expands it without offering clear alternatives for dispute resolution. Finally, the bill alters the House settlement revenue sharing framework in a way that may result in fewer student-athletes receiving direct revenue share payments.

“We are committed to working with Senators Cruz and Cantwell and other members of Congress to improve this legislation so that it can provide lasting stability for college athletics.”

Then came Steinbrecher’s reaction to the power conferences in his state of the MAC address: “I’ve been observing the continuing evolution of the intercollegiate athletics landscape over the past few years. In particular, the persistent and consistent power grab by the autonomy conferences. I am tired of listening to the complaints of the autonomy conferences who believe they know the best way to run the organization … I’m not sure if the right response to all of this is ‘be careful for what you ask for because you may get it’ or, B, ‘karma’s a bitch’ because we’re now living with what happens when the autonomy conferences make the rules.”

The response of Steinbrecher is a much-needed dissent at this time when the focus is on the Big Ten and SEC. Perhaps the evolution of college sports will take us permanently to more of a professional model that bodes well for the power conferences with their media rights deals, but somewhere along the way the big guys can’t afford to kill off their Group of Six brethren. If the power conferences are to truly become the major leagues of college sports, then they can’t afford to overlook the minors, which are feeding them players. If the Group of Six schools can’t compete, then one-by-one we’re going to see sports being dropped for a lack of affordability.

There are holes big enough to drive a freight train through in the Protect College Sports Act, but it’s a place to begin. What we have now can’t be sustained not only for the power conferences, but the Group of Six schools that are a necessary part of the food chain. Right now, we have more complaints than we have answers and time is definitely running out.

If we intend to avoid implosion of the entire college sports landscape, then someone with common sense and a workable plan that accommodates both the power conferences and Group of Six needs to step forward. It can’t be all about the big guys because the little guys provide a necessary service. There has to be a way to compromise that benefits everybody.