What's football going to look like? Sumrall: I'm like, we're going to win

University of Florida football coach Jon Sumrall (Photo by Chris Spears)

It all seemed so manageable back when Jon Sumrall was starting out, the freshly appointed head coach at Troy. Two years and two championships later, he whisked off to Tulane. Bigger job, bigger conference, more people to manage.

Two years and two appearances in the American Conference championship game at Tulane, one of which resulted in a championship and playing Ole Miss in the first round of the College Football Playoff, and Jon Sumrall finds himself in a constant state of adjustment at the University of Florida.

At Troy he had 18 coaches and staff at his disposal when he held his first serious meeting in which roles and responsibilities were defined. Double that when he went to Tulane.

Obviously, four championship games, three conference championships and an American Conference first slot in the playoff more than adequately tell the story of a coach who adapts well to his surroundings, knows how to assemble a coaching and support staff, and assign responsibilities to everyone under his command. It was pretty easy to do at Troy, a little more difficult but quite manageable at Tulane.

And then along came Florida where it seems few expenses have been spared, whether it’s the $85 million Heavener Center that comes complete with its own football-only weight room, a stadium that would require another 30,000 fans to fill it up if sellout crowds from Troy and Tulane were ticketed, or private jets that whisk him all over Florida to recruit.

In a sense, it’s been a bit overwhelming.

“Then I walked in here and I'm like, there are a million people,” Sumrall said at a Wednesday press conference. “That doesn't really work with me. I don't need it to be small, but it was a little bit maybe too robust for my liking because I think when you get too big, are you doing enough work? Are you bored? I want to stay busy.

“I don't want people around the building twiddling their thumbs trying to figure out, what do I do now. Well, if you have to think about what to do now, you probably don't have enough on your plate because I don't have any time to go, what should I do right now. I want our guys to – everyone in the building to be busy and occupied and working.”

Now, fortunately, all those people – many of them remnants from the “army” that Billy Napier assembled – were around to navigate Sumrall and what was then a skeleton of a staff through the December signing day. At the time, Sumrall was wearing two hats – Tulane to get the Green Wave through their conference championship game and preparation for the playoff, and the head coach of the University of Florida.

When the early signing period kicked off, Florida had more than 20 high school commitments. There were only two defections.

“I oversaw a signing class at Tulane and simultaneously tried to help be involved with overseeing a signing class at Florida at the same time,” Sumrall said. “Now, if it wasn't for Katie Doeker, previously Katie Turner around here, we would not have signed anybody. If it wasn't for Savannah Bailey and our GatorMade program because I asked all the parents and recruits, what made you choose Florida – that’s probably the coolest thing about this signing day press conference, if you will, is we lost two commitments, okay, two, with the coaching change. That has nothing to do with me. That has everything to do with Florida and the other people that were involved in those young men choosing Florida. 

“The University of Florida is a special place in every way possible. I think you compound that with the Katies and the Savannahs and the people that were a part of the recruiting process. When I Zoomed and talked on the phone with all the committed families and prospects, they all were like, ‘man, GatorMade is awesome. Katie has been awesome. Academic support here in our Hawkins Center, like, big time.’ They all voiced why did you choose Florida, then their last question was, ‘Hey, what's football going to look like? I'm like, we're going to win.”

National signing day to the transfer portal was like a whirlwind of activity with hardly time to soak in and assess who decided to stick it out with the new coach or decide the time is now to find a greener pasture. There were the highly publicized retentions of running back Jadan Baugh and EDGE rusher Jayden Woods. There was also the decision of last year’s starting quarterback DJ Lagway gto leave for Baylor.

That was just the starting point. By the time the transfer window was shut, Florida had a completely revamped roster that included 50 newbies counting the 20 high school kids signed earlier. And so Sumrall is just now starting to figure out who’s who while establishing a firm chain of command among his newly formed coaching staff.

In recent days, much emphasis has been placed on establishing a chain of command among assistants, analysts and staffers. He wants busy people, each of them with a defined role, each one working toward the common goal of producing a winning football team. No stepping on each other’s toes or trying to carve out space.

“We spent the last couple of days really being detailed and strategic about making sure there's alignment, an understanding of the standards,” Sumrall said. “I'm huge on your role and your job description and responsibility being very clear. I hate ambiguity. So each person has things they're responsible for, but we're all responsible for being great teammates first, so we all have to be bought in.

“Now, that doesn't mean just blindly trust whatever I say. I ask them all the time, like, challenge me. If you've got great ideas or feedback, bring it up. I haven't arrived. Nobody has.”

In short order, Sumrall wants an organization that has all the bases covered. He wants busy people who work together.

“I think cohesion is so important,” Sumrall said. “There’s a quote by GK Chesterton, "A true soldier doesn't fight for what's across from him but he fights for what's behind him." I want us to be connected and care about each other and fight for each other and bring it every day and have each other's back. We're going to be in the foxhole at times. It ain't always going to be good.

“I hate to break it to you, I'm undefeated right now, we might lose a game here. But when it goes sideways, do you flinch? Are you so outcome driven that you don't weather that storm? We're going to weather storms here, and we're going to do it because we're aligned and we've got each other's back.”