Jon Sumrall Speak at SEC Media Days 2026 | photo credit Brenden Martin gatorbaitmedia.com TAMPA – Experience has taught Jon Sumrall that the more things change, the more they really do stay the same. As Florida’s first year coach, this is the third time since 2022 that Sumrall has taken over a new program and while he is quick to tell you that every situation is different, there are similarities that cannot be discarded as mere chance. New places, new faces, new schools, new leagues, nothing is remotely close to the same and yet each stop along the journey finds the building blocks necessary to win football games. Start with Troy. That was 2022, Sumrall’s first head coaching job. Small town about 30 miles north of Dothan in the wiregrass region of Alabama, a school probably best known for offering courses that lead to a college degree on practically every United States military base in the world. Sun Belt Conference, not a bottom feeder league by any stretch but still a conference whose member schools are once or twice a year willing to take a beating for a paycheck to help keep the athletic department lights on. There is tradition here although not at the Division I level. Troy was an NAIA and Division II power that has three national championship trophies on display. Prior to Sumrall’s arrival from Kentucky where he was the co-defensive coordinator for Mark Stoops, Troy had three consecutive losing seasons. Just the kind of place that hires a head coach from a school whose most famous football moment came in the 1950s when Bear Bryant left for a place (Texas A&M) where football actually mattered. If Troy was lemons, then Sumrall was about to make lemonade. “I went to the first few weeks of workouts and I thought we had a chance to be okay here, like I think we can be decent,” Sumrall said Wednesday morning at SEC Media Days at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Tampa. “I met with my athletic director at the time, Brent Jones, who hired me, and I said, ‘I think we can go to a bowl game, like be decent. Well, we won 12 games. “The roster was a lot better than I realized or probably anybody realized. There was about six, seven guys off that team that are in NFL training camps right now from five years ago at Troy, and they hadn't been winning.” Two seasons and two Sun Belt championships later, Tulane came calling. Apples and oranges academics. Troy is a good school that cranks out productive graduates, but Tulane grads have earned the right to feel a bit snooty about their academic achievements. New Orleans, more famous for music, food and decadence than college football, except the one day a year when the Sugar Bowl is played. The American Conference is a step up from the Sun Belt, a step down from the power conferences and light years from the SEC. There was a time, decades ago, that Tulane was an SEC member that actually won three league championships, but that was before divorcing to go independent in 1966. In the two years prior to Sumrall, Tulane went 23-4 for Willie Fritz, capturing the American title in 2022. “I walked in and they had been winning for a couple years … and there were still some good players left but most the guys that had won a lot of the games that occurred right before I got there, they weren't there anymore,” Sumrall recalled. “I'm like, hang on, where did that running back go? Well, he's with the Titans now. A lot of the guys were gone.” Graduation and the portal wiped out most of the offensive productivity from Tulane’s 11-win 2023 team. With a true freshman quarterback (Darian Mensah) who arrived just prior to practice beginning in August, Tulane went to the American Conference championship game in 2024. Mensah left for Duke where he won an ACC title in 2025. He’s now at Miami where supporters of The U believe he could lead the Canes to the promised land. With Mensah and most of the offensive production either graduated or gone in the portal, Sumrall won the 2025 American title and made it to the College Football Playoff, a first for any American Conference team. What Troy and Tulane taught Sumrall prepped him for leaving the comfort zone of Group of Six football for the Southeastern Conference. He is Florida’s fifth coach since Urban Meyer retired after the 2010 season. The previous four have been pink slipped. Florida has off the chart academics, a national championship pedigree in nearly every one of the 21 sports it sponsors, and it carries the weight and expectations of the Southeastern Conference, from top to bottom the most dominant sports conference in the country. Four losing seasons in the last five and six losing seasons since 2013 for a school that went from 1980-2012 without dipping below college football’s Mendoza Line. It’s a challenge. It’s pressure. It’s a different situation than either Troy or Tulane, for sure, but the similarities cannot be ignored. There was tradition at both Troy and Tulane although not like Florida, which boasts eight SEC titles, three national titles, three Heisman Trophy winners and a football alumni association that reads like a who’s who. There was talent at Troy and Tulane when Sumrall arrived. Four straight conference championship game appearances and three conference championships are solid indicators that those perceived lemons became very sweet tasting lemonade. “Sometimes you walk into situations and think, man, it's going to be really adverse and you're not set up to have immediate success, and you find it because maybe there is more pieces in place to be successful than you realize,” Sumrall said. “Sometimes you walk into a situation and it's been going good, like, man, we got more work to do here than I thought.” Figure Florida is somewhere in between. There are pieces in place that can restore Florida to life among the elite in the Southeastern Conference. There is also far more work to be done than there should be for a program that doesn’t lack for facilities or money. Facilities lagged way behind for years but that is no longer an excuse. And, while Florida may not have high profile alums with accounts that would make Milburn Drysdale drool, there are enough people with enough money to compete in the high stakes NIL battles. Winning is the tonic that can cure all ills but it begins with a massive change in perceptions. The feelings of mediocrity and impending doom and gloom left behind by the previous coaching staff have been replaced with a contagious optimism that has swept the Gator Nation off its feet, not to mention raising the eyebrows of the national media. The national media talks openly about Florida doubling last year’s win output. Sumrall has yet to coach his first game at Florida, but higher expectations are perceived as attainable and not rah-rah, sis-boom-bah sunshine pumping wishful thinking. There is talent available, maybe not as much as there will be in the future when the name Florida rolls off the tongues of recruits as quickly as Georgia or Alabama, but Sumrall didn’t step into nuclear winter. He has supplemented the 60 holdovers with transfers and freshmen. There may not be a lot of household names in the bunch, but winning football games will cure recognition deficits. History says Sumrall will do what he’s done before, which is win. “Every situation you walk into I think you have to evaluate, okay, what needs to be recalibrated and what's been going good,” he said. “There have been some really good things going on at the University of Florida before my arrival. There have. We haven't won enough games. We need to win more games. Like 4-8 last year is not okay at the University of Florida. We got to fix that.” Jon Sumrall doesn’t consider himself a walk on water or part the Red Sea type nor does he think of himself as Mr. Fix It. Rather he envisions himself as the blue collar guy who shows up every day willing to swing away with a sledgehammer that knocks down the barriers that stand in the way of winning. This is a far different situation than the one he inherited at Troy and then Tulane, but experience has taught him that while circumstances and locales have changed, the pathway to success remains quite the same. “There are no shortcuts,” he says. “I don't care if you've been winning or you hadn't been winning.”

Vernell Brown III will have an important role for the Gators this fall (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Friday afternoon: Here are a few things we learned from SEC Media Days this week starting with the general consensus among the throng of writers and broadcasters that descended on Tampa from all corners of the United States that this was a very good week for the Florida Gators. Sumrall owned Wednesday and looking back on the four-day event, it’s not a stretch to say his were the best 30 minutes at the podium of all 16 coaches who did their annual state of the program addresses. Sumrall was so impressive in the changes he’s made at Florida since taking over the program last December that some in the media think Florida is a dark horse challenger for the four or five expected berths in the College Football Playoff. Not only did Sumrall say all the right things, he was accompanied by Jadan Baugh, Myles Graham and Vernell Brown III, all of whom came across as poised, smart, respectful and superb representatives of the University of Florida. For the bulk of the attendees, this was their first encounter with the three Gators and they spoke in the hallways of how impressive these kids were. While on the SEC Now set, Sumrall got a good-natured shot from Nick Saban: "I'm a Florida resident now, and down there amongst the Gators, and Governor [Ron] DeSantis is a good friend. You took our former [University of Alabama] President Stuart Bell, who's now a Gator, and I want you to know I'm kind of a semi-Gator. If you don't get your sh#t together, I'm gonna be in the middle of that. I just want you to know that." SUMRALL QUOTE OF THE WEEK FROM THE PODIUM "I would say no two decisions are alike. Lane (Kiffin) and I are friends, and we talked several times through the process of October-November about what it was looking like for both of our schedules of how things were going to unfold. Lane and I talked as we were going through. He was like, you and I are going through the same thing in November. I was like, No, Lane, we're not. If you leave, you're leaving an SEC school to go to another SEC school. It's a little different. I'm leaving Tulane." SUMRALL NON-PODIUM QUOTES OF THE WEEK "Last year's ACC champion was who?
Duke. We beat them at Tulane … I will say this too: every time at Tulane, and when we ran up against a team from this league [SEC], it didn’t feel very good, but when we ran up against ACC teams. When we beat Northwestern (Big Ten) last year, I wasn’t real worried. Going into the game I looked across the other sideline and thought I think we can win today. There are some differences but let’s not act like all Power 4 teams are alike and all G-6 teams are alike." PRESEASON PREDICTIONS AS VOTED ON BY SEC MEDIA Order of finish: 1. Georgia; 2. Texas; 3. Ole Miss; 4. Texas A&M; 5. LSU; 6. Alabama; 7. Oklahoma; 8. Tennessee; 9. FLORIDA; 10. Missouri; 11. South Carolina; 12. Auburn; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Kentucky; 15. Mississippi State; 16. Arkansas First team All-SEC offense QB: Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss; RB: Kewan Lacey, Ole Miss; Ahmad Hardy, Missouri; WR: Cam Coleman, Texas, and Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama; TE: Trey’Dez Green, LSU; OG/OT: Trevor Goolsby, Texas; Cayden Green, Missouri; Jordan Seaton; and Earnest Greene III, Georgia; C: Drew Bobo, Georgia; AP: Mario Craver, Texas A&M First team All-SEC defense: DL: Colin Simmons, Texas; Willie Echoles, Ole Miss; Dylan Stewart, South Carolina; and Princewill Umanmielen, LSU; LB: Whit Weeks, LSU; Xavier Atkins, Auburn; and Rasheem Biles, Texas; DB: KJ Bolden, Georgia; Zabien Brown, Alabama; Bray Hubbard, Alabama; Ellis Robinson IV Second team All-SEC offense: QB: Arch Manning, Texas; RB: JADAN BAUGH, Florida; Nate Fraier, Georgia; WR: Mario Craver, Texas A&M; Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma; TE: Lawson Luckie, Georgia; OG/OT: Dontrell Glover, Georgia; Michael Fasusi, Oklahoma; Michael Carroll, Alabama; and Lance Heard, Kentucky; C: Mark Nabou Jr., Texas A&M; AP: Ryan Niblett, Texas Second team All-SEC defense: DL: David Stone, Oklahoma; Elijah Griffin, Georgia; Taylor Wein, Oklahoma; and Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas; LB: Raylen Wilson, Georgia; Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss; and Kip Lewis, Oklahoma; DB: Kelley Jones, Mississippi State; DJ Pickett, LSU; Ty Benefield, LSU; Eli Bowen and Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma Third team All-SEC offense: QB: Gunner Stockton, Georgia; RB: DeSean Bishop, Tennessee; Hollywood Smothers, Texas; WR: Ryan Wingo, Texas; Nyck Harbor, South Carolina; TE: Willie Rodriguez, Kentucky; OG/OT: David Saunders Jr., Tennessee; Patrick Kutas, Ole Miss; Brandon Baker, Texas; and Wendell Moe Jr., Tennessee; C: Braelin Moore, LSU; AP: JADAN BAUGH, Florida Third team All-SEC defense: DL: Kam Franklin, Ole Miss; DJ Hicks, Texas A&M; Gabe Harris, Georgia; and JAYDEN WOODS, Florida; LB: Arion Carter, Tennessee; TJ Dottery, LSU; and Yhonzae Pierre, Alabama; DB: Keon Sabb, Alabama; Champ Anthony, Auburn; Khalil Barnes, Georgia; and Jelani McDonald, Texas First team All-SEC Special teams: PK: Tate Sandell, Oklahoma; P: Grant Chadwick, LSU; RS: Ryan Niblett, Texas; KOS: Tate Sandell, Oklahoma; LS: Ben Anderson, Oklahoma Second team All-SEC Special teams: PK: Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss; P: Grayson Miller, Oklahoma; RS: Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma; KOS: Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss; LS: Trey Debuc, Texas Third team All-SEC Special teams: PK: Alex McPherson, Auburn; P: Ethan Pulliam, Mississippi State; RS: VERNELL BROWN III, Florida; KOS: Terry Bussey, Texas A&M; LS: Brett LeBlanc, Missouri SOME NON-FLORIDA OBSERVATIONS On a Wednesday that Sumrall clearly owned, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer came across as the least impressive. He’s lost eight games in two seasons – the first time that has happened since Nick Saban’s first two years (2007-08) – and his roster is the least impressive since the days of Mike Shula. I do not think Alabama is one of the six best teams in the SEC. Sixteen SEC coaches each brought three players with them to Tampa. There were a lot of very impressive young men, but Texas A&M safety Marcus Ratcliffe easily ranks among the top two or three. On the field he tackles, he covers and directs traffic for the players in front of him. His off the field good works should make him a prime candidate to win the Wuerffel Trophy. Lane Kiffin’s appearance Thursday seemed rather subdued. Instead of “The Mouth That Roared” Lane did his best to come across as introspective and in control. In an interview he did with ESPN he regretted how he left Ole Miss, saying, “I wish I would have gone in when I met with Keith (Carter, Ole Miss AD) and said, 'I've made the decision to go.’ "I wish I would have just said, 'Hey, I'd like to coach the team,' and he'd say, 'No', and I'd say, 'Hey, okay, I appreciate it', move on [and] never even discussed it again." Expectations are through the roof for Texas and Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns spent the offseason on a mission to prove only God has more money, spending freely to surround Arch Manning with elite offensive talent and bringing in Will Muschamp to take over the defense. Texas is on the short list of favorites to win the national championship. If the Longhorns endure a three-loss season there is every good chance Sark will get the pink slip. There is no conference in the country with such an impressive array of quarterbacks as the SEC, which lends to the belief the three-year national championship drought will come to an end this year. Georgia (Gunner Stockton) Texas (Arch Manning), Ole Miss (Trinidad Chambliss), Oklahoma (John Maeer), Texas A&M (Marcel Reed) and LSU (Sam Leavitt) could all be in the national championship hunt in large part because they have playmaking quarterbacks capable of taking over a game. And this does not count quality QBs at non-national contenders such as LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Byrum Brown (Auburn), Austin Simmons (Ole Miss), and Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State). After a week of the SEC dog and pony show plus the interaction with writers and broadcasters from around the country here is my predicted order of finish for the SEC: 1. Texas; 2. Georgia; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ole Miss; 5. LSU; 6. Texas A&M; 7. FLORIDA; 8. Alabama; 9. Missouri; 10. Tennessee; 11. Auburn; 12. South Carolina; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Mississippi State; 15. Kentucky; 16. Arkansas. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Never underestimate the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s ability to do the dumb thing. Given an opportunity to gracefully compromise on its 5-for-5 legislation, the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, has elected to continue fighting it out in courtrooms across the country where losing is almost a foregone conclusion. Judge after judge has sided with athletes challenging the fairness of 5-for-5, which excludes last year’s fourth-year seniors from gaining a fifth year of eligibility while granting the fifth year to athletes who were in their first, second and third years during the recently concluded athletic year. Earlier in the week an Austin judge issued a TRO against the NCAA that has allowed Texas offensive guard Cole Hutson to rejoin the team. Hutson was the starting right guard a year ago but wasn’t selected when the NFL drafted back in the spring. Hutson’s return means the Longhorns return all five starters from last year’s O-line. While most of the lawsuits against the NCAA involve basketball players, attorney Darren Heitner said in an email conversation a couple of weeks ago that there will be lawsuits filed on behalf of football players. Since we’re only a couple of weeks away from the opening of August preseason football camps, it is likely the NCAA will be bombarded with lawsuits on behalf of seniors who played their fourth year in the 2025-26 athletic year. Meanwhile, more lawsuit will be filed on behalf of basketball players. This is a fight the NCAA is not going to win, but in typical fashion it will go down in flames in courtrooms rather than show the wisdom of compromise. How difficult would it be to grandfather in last year’s fourth-year seniors? A benefit of compromise would be decent publicity, something the NCAA hasn’t had in a long, long time. No telling how many billable hours attorneys representing the NCAA have racked up so there is a legitimate cost savings if a compromise could be reached. Among the many debates questioning the NCAA’s choice to duke it out in the courts was a thought that the NCAA was simply stalling for time until Congress passes the Protect College Sports Act. If that indeed were the case, then the NCAA has taken a torpedo to the engine room. Sources indicate there is no way this legislation can reach the Senate floor prior to the August recess, therefore no Congressional lifeline prior to the start of football season and the fall semester.

UAA Photo So here’s the question I keep chewing on like week-old gum: If the man is this good at selling the vision, why isn’t anybody buying the stock? Anybody who’s spent five minutes around Jon Sumrall will tell you the man communicates like it’s his second sport. And yet, when the actual ballots got counted, the league’s media members shrugged and slotted Florida ninth in the USA Today preseason poll — with zero Gators making the All-SEC team, one of only four schools in that boat. By Buddy Martin GatorBaitMedia.com Here’s the thing about SEC Media Days: It’s the only event in sports where a man can throw a fake tantrum about a cell phone alarm, get compared to a “sleeping giant” by Nick Saban himself, and still walk out of Tampa ranked ninth in a 16-team league. Welcome to Jon Sumrall’s introduction to the conference that eats optimism for breakfast. By all accounts — and I mean all of them — Sumrall owned that podium on Wednesday. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, who doesn’t hand out compliments like Halloween candy, came away calling him “the best thing to happen to Florida football in almost 20 years.” Nick Saban, sitting across the SEC Network set, gushed that Sumrall has “the right stuff” to build something that lasts, dropping the phrase that’s now stuck to this program like gum on a shoe: “Florida, I think, is a sleeping giant.” Even the reporter whose phone went off mid-answer got a highlight reel out of it, with Sumrall threatening — through a grin — to “throw this freaking podium right now” That’s not an act. Anybody who’s spent five minutes around Sumrall will tell you the man communicates like it’s his second sport. And yet, when the actual ballots got counted, the league’s media members shrugged and slotted Florida ninth in the USA Today preseason poll — with zero Gators making the All-SEC team, one of only four schools in that boat. The 247Sports poll was even less charitable, tucking the Gators in at 10th. Same neighborhood, same middling zip code. So here’s the question I keep chewing on like week-old gum: If the man is this good at selling the vision, why isn’t anybody buying the stock? Easy answer. Preseason polls don’t vote on vibes. They vote on résumés, and Florida’s résumé says 4-8 last year, a first-year coach who’s never called a play in the SEC, and a brand-new nine-game conference gauntlet that has grown men griping in the hallways of Tampa hotels. You can be the most electric guy in the room and still get graded on last year’s transcript. That’s just how these polls work — ask Billy Napier’s ghost. But here’s where I think the voters are missing the forest for the trees, and where Feldman’s piece nails it: Sumrall isn’t some motivational speaker who happens to coach football. The man has receipts. He walked into a dead Troy program and went 23-4 with back-to-back Sun Belt titles. He walked into Tulane and won the American Conference in year two, then took the Green Wave to the College Football Playoff. That’s not a hype man. That’s a guy who turns programs around on a schedule, and he’s done it twice. And it’s not just talk that’s kept this thing from cratering further. Jadan Baugh, Dallas Wilson and Jayden Woods — legitimate difference-makers who could’ve bolted for greener pastures after a 4-8 fire sale — stuck around for Sumrall. Players don’t stay for a good speech. They stay because they believe the guy giving it. That’s the tell the pollsters can’t quantify, but it’s the one that actually predicts wins. This “sleeping giant” business, by the way, isn’t just a media-day soundbite Saban cooked up for TV. Sumrall’s been saying it since the spring game back in April — “it’s not a question of if we will win here, but rather how quickly” — long before any pollster had a chance to weigh in. And way back in the 1960s the first person to hang that tag on UF was Bear Bryant. Say what you want about a coach who repeats his own catchphrase, but at least Sumrall is consistent, which is more than you can say for the parade of personalities that’s marched through Gainesville since Urban Meyer departed. Muschamp, McElwain, Mullen, Napier — all of them had something to sell, and none of them could close. Since 2010, Florida’s had more losing SEC seasons than winning ones. That’s not a program in a rut. That’s a program that forgot which way is up. In post-mortems, while Sumrall racked up kudos, Pete Golding garnered recognition. In fact, Paul Finebaum flat out said, “the winner of SEC Media days was Pete Golding!” Which seems odd considering that just a couple of years ago they wanted to run Golding out of Tuscaloosa as defensive coordinator. I did not notice Finebaum coming to his rescue then. So where does that leave us? Not with a coronation, and not with the same tired “same old Gators” cynicism that’s been the house special in this state for a decade and a half. Somewhere in between, which is exactly where an honest column ought to land. Here’s my balanced read: I’m not picking the Gators to shock the world and win the East in year one — the schedule’s too cruel and the roster’s still finding its legs under a new staff. But I’m also not buying ninth. A team that kept its best players through a coaching change, that’s got a coach who communicates at an elite level and has never had a losing season as a head coach anywhere, doesn’t play like a ninth-place outfit. I’ve got Florida finishing closer to the middle of the pack than the bottom of it — bowl eligible, with at least one signature win over a ranked opponent that makes the rest of the league sit up, and a foundation in December that looks a lot more finished than it does right now in July. The giant isn’t awake yet. But for the first time in a long while, somebody’s actually banging on the door instead of just talking about it. Ask me again in December — I’ve got a feeling the pollsters are going to owe Sumrall an apology.

“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” – from “Common Sense” which was written in 1776 by Thomas Paine The words of Thomas Paine helped to spark a revolution. Months after he wrote “Common Sense” delegates from 13 colonies met in Philadelphia to declare independence from England. A war was fought and won. The world changed forever. Some 250 years and 16 days following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey talked about common sense as it applies to the Protect College Sports Act. If enacted by the United States Congress, college sports will change forever. Reforms are necessary and long overdue, but the way the SEC views this legislation much of it is one size fits all, which is unacceptable. The SEC may be willing to compromise on certain provisions in the bill, but it is a no go on such things as pooling television revenues for equal sharing among the conferences. That is the major sticking point for the SEC but not the only one. To counter this legislation, which is fully backed by the NCAA, the SEC has offered 10 suggestions that are both “achievable and reasonable.” Perhaps “achievable and reasonable” to the SEC but not everyone agrees. The SEC views the changes as common sense re-structuring that will help level a playing field that favors the smaller, less prosperous conferences. Those cash-starved bottom feeders want the big guys to relinquish some of the monopoly they have on access to money sources. They view the SEC and its list of suggestions as nothing more than bully tactics that will make it far more difficult to stave off extinction. Sankey has the full support of the presidents and athletic directors of the Southeastern Conference, who are in serious discussions about taking the route of self-governance rather than agree to the provisions of the Protect College Sports Act as it is written today. This is not a threat but rather a calculated demand made because the SEC has the further backing of ESPN, which holds an exclusive contract with the SEC through 2034. The SEC is ESPN’s most valuable property. Considering the SEC accounts for a full 40 percent of the television viewing audience for all football among the power conferences it doesn’t take a PhD in astrophysics to understand that whatever direction the SEC wishes to go, ESPN will stand side-by-side. For all practical purposes, if the SEC elects the route of self-governance it will be a full-scale revolution not only against Congressional control but also the NCAA. Most of the problems facing collegiate athletics today are the result of the NCAA’s combination of inept leadership and selective enforcement of antiquated rules. Because it lacks the wherewithal to deal with problems it created, the NCAA is trying to get a bailout from the Congress. Rejecting the legislation will require the SEC to also declare independence from the NCAA and its bureaucratic bungling. Thomas Paine called for a revolution that would begin the world over again. Monday, without coming right out and calling for a revolution, Greg Sankey let it be known that the Southeastern Conference has the power to begin the world of college sports all over again. KIRBY SMART SAID IT “You got to be able to wear multiple hats, more than I ever imagined. You got to choose which hats you want to wear the best. Maybe that is dictated by the strength of your staff. Like if you’ve got really strong continuity and coaches and X and Os and schemes and recruiters, then you go focus on the relationships with the players. You go focus on maybe raising money and doing things with the owners. You have to choose what you want to, and I think that’s the strength of our program. I’m not afraid to change what we need to change to be successful. If I need to spend for time with one player because he plays harder and less time with the offensive staff or the offensive coordinator or the defensive staff or the defensive coordinator, special teams, I’m willing to do that.” “I don’t have an ego that says you have to do it my way. I want to hear how you want to do it, and let’s find the best way. What I am worried about is what kind of product do we put on the field in terms of physicality, toughness, all those things, how we practice, that’s non-negotiable for me. The landscape is kind of over on the side. If you get really lost and caught up in landscape and you’re constantly arguing and fussing and complaining and tweeting and doing all that, guess what you’re not the worrying about? What matters. We’re going to worry about what matters first all our place.” CLARK LEA SAID IT “Well, I think we’re still internally the chip-on-the-shoulder underdog that has a lot to prove. Again, there’s nothing that we inherit from last season that has to do with any future win. Everything is about the responsibility we have over the program that we have built, but how this team can actually move it forward, and maybe more importantly, how this team can fully express itself over the course of the next six months.” “Our objective remains what it’s always been, to build the best football program in the country. While progress is encouraging, complacency is dangerous. The moment we turn to protect the ground we’ve covered, we stop our pursuit of what’s possible at Vanderbilt. We must be willing to risk what we are for what we could become.” ALEX GOLESH SAID IT “The identity is one thing for me to talk about, one thing for me to preach, one thing for me to hold a standard in every aspect of our program, but it’s another for our kids to embrace it and live it. The first piece of this identity that we’ve hammered home is the ability to be physically and mentally tough. That’s what Auburn football was built on, physical and mental toughness. The ability to be the most violent football team on the field every Saturday. Violent.” “Byrum Brown is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and he’s shown that over the years. What has to happen for Byrum is he’s just got to continue to be him every single day. What gives him confidence is everything that we preached from day one. It’s your daily process. It’s how you come in that building. It’s how you treat people. It’s how you take care of your body. It’s how you show up to work. It’s truly how your locker looks. How you approach getting on the field, off the field, how you communicate on the sideline, on top of how you actually work when it’s time to go to work.” “I don’t set goals. I’ve always thought that that’s like a little bit like New Year’s resolutions. They usually work for a little bit and you kind of keep it moving. I set standards. We set standards as a program. Our standard is to be the best versions of us every single day.” SHANE BEAMER SAID IT “Last year at this time most of you guys picked us very high because of the players that we had returning on our team – on the 2025 team. This year we won't be picked very high. I get that, but we got the same players that you picked us high for last year. They're back this year, and they're a year older, which excites me.” “If you look back at last year's team, I think we only had four seniors that started for us total on last year's team. So for me, as the head coach, it was making sure that we got older. We brought in some transfers that have played a lot of football at a lot of places, so we increased the experience. That was one thing that I, as a head coach, can control. We tweaked some things with how we do things in the offseason, practice, things like that. But you do that after every season. You're introspective and look at how you can be better. But we've been very intentional about getting better. We've gotten older, like I said. Certainly when you have the season that we had, that's on me. I did not do a good enough job last year to say the least.” CHRIS DOERING RATES THE SEC QUARTERBACKS 1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss; 2. John Mateer, Oklahoma; 3. Arch Manning, Texas; 4. Byrum Brown, Auburn; 5. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M DIVISION I QUARTERBACK RATINGS PER THE ATHLETIC Top 25 (SEC QBs in bold): 1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss; 2. Dante Moore, Oregon; 3. CJ Carr, Notre Dame; 4. Darian Mensah, Miami; 5. Julian Sayin, Ohio State; 6. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State; 7. Arch Manning, Texas; 8. Sam Leavitt, LSU; 9. Jayden Maiava, Southern Cal; 10. Noah Fifita, Arizona; 11. Gunner Stockton, Georgia; 12. Josh Hoover, Indiana; 13. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M; 14. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California; 15. Kevin Jennings, SMU; 16. John Mateer, Oklahoma; 17. C.J. Bailey, North Carolina State; 18. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina; 19. Byrum Brown, Auburn; 20. Demond Williams, Washington; 21. Malik Washington, Maryland; 22. Devon Dampier, Utah; 23. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh; 24. Rocco Becht, Penn State; 25. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA Other SEC quarterbacks: 26. Austin Simmons, Missouri; 32. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State; 33. Keelon Russell, Alabama; 34. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky; 55. Aaron Philo, Florida; 57. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt; 63. KJ Jackson, Arkansas; 75. Faizon Brandon, Tennessee Former SEC QBs now starting elsewhere: 25. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA (formerly Tennessee); 28. Conner Weigman, Houston (formerly Texas A&M); 40. Cutter Boley, Arizona State (formerly Kentucky); 42. DJ Lagway, Baylor (formerly Florida); 46. Beau Pribula, Virginia (formerly Kentucky); 60. Ashton Daniels, Florida State (formerly Auburn); 64. Jackson Arnold, UNLV (formerly Oklahoma; formerly Auburn); 67. Carolos Del Rio-Wilson (formerly Florida); 71. Maalik Murphy, Oregon State (formerly Texas); 72. Michael Hawkins, West Virginia (formerly Oklahoma); 73. Michael Van Buren, South Florida (formerly Mississippi State; formerly LSU); 83. Tayven Jackson, North Texas (formerly Tennessee); 100. Max Johnson, Georgia Southern (formerly LSU; formerly Texas A&M); 102. Jake Merklinger, UConn (formerly Tennessee)

TAMPA – Ever so quietly, Danny Wuerffel made the rounds at SEC Media Days, always smiling, always deflecting praise while giving thanks to God for a life that has far exceeded expectations both on and off the playing field. As a quarterback, he earned membership in college football’s most exclusive club when he won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Florida Gators to the 1996 national championship. In the life after football that evolved into one of constant giving and constant service he continuously answers to what Steve Spurrier has always called “a higher calling.” Just as he had a heart for inspiring teammates as a Gator, he continues to inspire others as an advocate for the less fortunate through his Desire Street Ministries and through the Allstate-sponsored Danny Wuerffel Trophy, given to the player whose community service offers a beacon of hope. “A college football award not for touchdowns or wins but an award just for community service and we’re proud of that,” Wuerffel said. “We just announced 113 nominees for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and it’s going to be an exciting year.” We remember the Wuerffel years at Florida during which the Gators went 45-6-1 with four Southeastern Conference championships, a national runner-up in 1995 and a national championship in 1996. The numbers speak for themselves – 10,875 passing yards for 114 touchdowns – but as great as the stats were, perhaps the lasting memory of Danny Wuerffel is prayerful hands and eyes lifted to the heavens after every touchdown pass. For a higher percentage of college football players than we care to admit, football is perceived as their ticket to fame and fortune. For Wuerffel, football opened doors for service. “I think it's baked into my faith as well and my understanding of what authentic faith looks like and serving and caring for others, especially those that are vulnerable,” Wuerffel said. “And then just like a lot of things in life, sometimes as you start to take steps, you never would imagine where you'd end up. You just try to take the next best step. And it's led me to the things that we've done. And then just, you know, work hard. We have a lot of things that are sad that, you know, when things go wrong for people and you work in difficult neighborhoods, but at night when you go to bed, you just feel like your life matters and you're helping people. And it's a great feeling.” His National Football League career never took off but in retrospect, the NFL was simply an outpost on a path of divine purpose. The three years he spent in New Orleans following his college career exposed him to the Ninth Ward projects, particularly Desire Street, notorious for poverty that breeds crime, drugs, lifespans ended way too early and prison sentences. When he retired from football, Desire Street Ministries became his focus, a faith-based organization to offer hope and opportunity for at-risk kids. Just as Desire Street was beginning to have a positive effect in New Orleans, along came Hurricane Katrina (2005), wiping out the Ninth Ward with the floods that broke through the levees destroying Wuerffel’s home. A setback, for sure, but not the end. Desire Street rebuilt and continues to thrive. Another setback came in 2010. “I was diagnosed with autoimmune disorder (Guillain-Barre Syndrome), was paralyzed for a while and was really almost unfunctional for a lot of months,” he recalled. “Those in many ways kind of reshape and define who you are on the inside. Getting though Katrina was tough but we had a lot of support and ultimately I think my faith in God and belief that good can come out of bad can carry you through those times.” Wuerffel recovered again, came back stronger than ever and continues to inspire others. Football not only provided the key to open doors of hope that offer young people a way out of the unwalled prisons of the inner city, but the adversity he faced during his college days toughened him and prepared him for the future. “I think there's this hope and belief and dream that life and success is linear and you can just sort of get there without the struggle,” he said. “But almost anybody of substance that I've ever met has been through a lot, and so often that's what shapes and molds and defines us. I look at the struggles. I mean, even the 96 football team, we were undefeated. We lose to Florida State, and now we're out, and yet we hung together, and a lot of things happened, and we got a second chance, and that made it in some ways all the more special.” It isn’t an exaggeration to call Wuerffel the All-American hero. He is a doer and a giver in a world filled with those whose very existence is defined by taking. He never forgets the people who impacted his life, taking the time to steer him in the right directions. He has fond memories of his high school football coach, Jimmy Ray Stephens. Jimmy Ray came to Fort Walton Beach after serving as Eddie Feely’s offensive coordinator at Gainesville Buchholz and then a remarkable 33-3 run as the head coach at Williston where very few had answers for the Flying T offense first devised by high school coaching legend Tom Perrin but perfected at Georgia Southern. At Fort Walton, Jimmy Ray had the cerebral quarterback he needed to run the Flying T in Wuerffel. The two of them combined for a 14-0 record in 1991 when they destroyed St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 4A state championship game at Florida Field. Wuerffel threw for three touchdowns and put the exclamation point on a 39-14 win with an 80-yard touchdown run. Following the state championship trophy presentation Jimmy Ray Stephens grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into the Fort Walton Beach locker room. I expected to see a bunch of high school kids hugging each other and celebrating a win over a team (St. Thomas Aquinas) that most experts thought was unbeatable. Rather than unhinged joy, Danny Wuerffel stood in the middle of the locker room singing “Amazing Grace.” As we listened, Jimmy Ray leaned over and spoke in my ear, “There isn’t a kid like this one anywhere. He is everything you could ever ask for. He is a blessing to everyone he meets on and off the field. He is destined for great things.” So here we are 35 years later. Danny Wuerffel continues to bless people and his unmatched character is one of the reasons that Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin made him a prominent member of the search committee when the Gators went searching for a new head coach. The first and initially most prominent name before the search committee was Lane Kiffin, who Wuerffel says was “high on the board and was a priority.” Kiffin wasn’t the only name on the board, however, and the more the committee dug into the candidates, the more Jon Sumrall’s name kept rising in importance because, as Wuerffel concluded, “He gets it.” From the first Zoom call Wuerffel was impressed. Subsequent interviews kept checking all the necessary boxes until it became a no-brainer that this was the right coach at just the right time for the Florida Gators. There was legitimate excitement when the decision was made and Sumrall accepted. “I think it was a combination of his intensity, he was really smart with the ability to surround himself with great people and then also he had a characteristic about him that a lot of successful people don't have,” Wuerffel said. “He has this ability to look at himself and have a process for receiving feedback. I think a lot of successful people get blind spots because they don't really have people around that can speak into the truth. And he's just got a way of getting really good feedback from people to make sure that he's covering his blind spots … He’s our guy.” And so is Danny Wuerffel. Thirty years ago when he won the Heisman and led the Gators to the national championship, Danny Wuerffel earned his place among Florida football legends. Thirty years later he continues earning a place in our hearts. The football legend fades with the passing of time, but the legend of integrity, compassion and faith in action continues to grow. As great a football player as he was, Danny Wuerffel is a much greater man, well worth our love and admiration.

“Let me just say one thing to you, Jon. I’m a Florida resident now and down there amongst the Gators … and I want you to know, I’m kind of a semi-Gator,” Saban said. The sun was already baking Water Street by the time Jon Sumrall walked into the JW Marriott on Wednesday morning, and by the time he walked out nearly six hours later, the Gators’ first-year head coach had done everything from radio row to a live jab session with Kirby Smart to getting playfully threatened by Nick Saban on national television. Welcome to SEC Media Days, Tampa-style — the league’s first time hosting its preseason circus in the city, and Sumrall’s first time doing it as an SEC head coach. First report card: He gets an A, borderline A-Plus. Not even needing the Orange and Blue glasses. Off they go to Tampa. (UAA Photo) The beauty contest is over, however, and we don’t care who won Mr. Congeniality. His day started early. Sumrall hit SEC Creative at 9:05 a.m., then rotated through SEC Network Social, SEC Radio, SiriusXM, CBS and Electronic Media before finally stepping to the main podium at 10:30 for his address to the full room of assembled media, followed by stops with ESPN, Marty & McGee and the SEC Network set to close out his morning. “This is Gator country,” he announced right away, drawing battle lines. Running back Jadan Baugh, linebacker Myles Graham and receiver Vernell Brown III (see photo) worked their own gauntlet of interviews alongside him, representing a Florida program that opens the season September 5 against Florida Atlantic. It wouldn’t be a Sumrall press availability without somebody asking about Lane Kiffin. The two coaches lived parallel lives last November — both fielding calls about jobs in the SEC, both angling toward the College Football Playoff with their old teams — before their paths split. Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU before the Rebels’ playoff run was finished; Sumrall stayed at Tulane through the end of the American Championship before officially taking over at Florida. A reporter pushed him on whether the two situations were really as similar as everyone kept saying. Sumrall wasn’t having it. “I’d say no two decisions are alike, right,” Sumrall noted. “Lane and I are friends, and talked several times during the process in October and November about what it was looking like about how things were going to unfold. Lane said, ‘you and I are going through the same thing,’ and I’m like, ‘No Lane, we’re not. If you leave, you’re leaving an SEC school to go to an SEC school.’ I was leaving Tulane. But it was challenging to do it, but I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I wanted to make sure I left Tulane the right way. If any university told me I couldn’t coach in the playoff game, I don’t think I would’ve taken the job, just because I couldn’t leave the team I had coached all year.” While Kiffin and Sumrall have discussed the situation numerous times since last December, there was one part of the process the two coaches never agreed on — they were not the same situations, at all, and Sumrall made sure everyone in the room understood that distinction. Even so, he made clear there was no bad blood in it. “I did not envy Lane’s situation at all,” Sumrall said. “Every time he and I would converse, I felt terrible for what he was enduring and for everyone involved, because it was unfair to all parties”. Not every moment was so serious, either. A reporter’s phone rang mid-answer, and Sumrall didn’t miss a beat with the crowd. (Later he admitted he was joking.) “You would be kicked out of our team meeting, I swear,” he said. “Like, you’re lucky I’m not going to throw this podium right now. That drives me crazy. I would say who is that, but I’m not going to embarrass anybody.” If the podium session was measured, Sumrall’s stop on the SEC Network set was pure theater. Once he wrapped his main media session, the crew — including Nick Saban — broke down his performance live, and the Hall of Fame coach couldn’t resist needling the rookie. “Let me just say one thing to you, Jon. I’m a Florida resident now and down there amongst the Gators … and I want you to know, I’m kind of a semi-Gator,” Saban said. “So, if you don’t get your shit together, I’m gonna be in the middle of it” Sumrall laughed it off and told Saban he appreciated the vote of confidence. Underneath the joke, Saban was genuinely complimentary of the job Sumrall has done building out his first Florida staff. “I think that Jon has a great attitude. I think he’s had a great attitude in terms of how he’s taken over every opportunity that he’s gotten as a head coach, and he’s done a phenomenal job,” Saban said, praising Sumrall’s approach of building on what’s already working rather than blowing things up. He singled out offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and defensive coordinator Brad White as strong hires, and predicted quarterback Aaron Philo is “a little bit underrated as a passer” who fits Faulkner’s system well. Saban did flag two trouble spots for Gainesville to watch — the offensive line and the back end of the secondary — as the things standing between Florida and “a really good team”. Sumrall also had to answer for a needling he took days earlier from Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who cracked at a Steve Spurrier award event about how many head coaches Florida has burned through during Smart’s tenure in Athens. Sumrall shrugged it off with respect rather than a rebuttal. “Yeah, it’s a great rivalry, I think it’s one of the best rivalries in college football. I have a lot of respect for Kirby and the job he’s done over the years, they’re very consistent,” he said, adding that the two had already caught up before the event went live. “What would you expect from the coach Spurrier award show other than a lot of jabs being thrown? There might not be as an authentic coach in the SEC, besides Pete Golding, and both were making their conference debuts this season a few hours apart in the same Tampa ballroom. And if anyone bet on either man getting through a press conference without cussing at least once, they most certainly lost that bet on Wednesday. Sumrall had nothing but praise for his fellow first-year man, even with Tulane having been run over twice by Ole Miss last season under two different coaches. “Pete is going to be himself. He’s not going to change,” Sumrall said of Golding. “I have an appreciation for that. You have to be authentic. I think he’s going to do a phenomenal job. Really do. Happy for his opportunity there”. By the time Sumrall left the SEC Network set, he’d covered a coaching carousel soap opera, absorbed a good-natured threat from arguably the greatest coach of his generation, and still found time to talk up his quarterback battle and the fanbase that helped sell him on Gainesville in the first place — an 18-straight-sellout streak “through maybe not ideal on-the-field results,” as he put it. Kiffin and Sumrall won’t even meet on the field in 2026 — the first year since 1970 that LSU and Florida haven’t been scheduled against each other — but their story will keep following both coaches into the season anyway. No two decisions are alike. But in Tampa, everybody sure wanted to talk about the one everyone insists on comparing anyway.

People, places and things from Tampa and beyond: There was nothing in Jadan Baugh’s demeanor or tone to indicate even a hint of bitterness Wednesday afternoon as he politely answered one question after another from a host of writers and broadcasters curious to get the scoop on a young man who chose to return to Florida for year three rather than get caught up in a bidding war for his services. Shortly after Billy Napier was fired and the transfer portal opened, Baugh would have been a top five commodity. He could have named his own price and someone would have met it. Make no mistake about it, Florida will pay Baugh well to run and catch the football in the fall, but literally dozens of schools would have been willing to write bigger checks if necessary. Running backs with Jim Brown size and power are hard to come by so there was plenty of money to be had, but Baugh chose to remain at Florida to play for Jon Sumrall, whose Christmas Day home visit sealed the deal for his return. “People don’t know it, but he came to my grandmother’s house on Christmas Day and we sat there and just talked about everything, and that stuck out to me the most because that show is a guy who cares,” Baugh said. “It showed a guy with character that when anything’s going on, he does not care to a point where we’re just trying to get me back on the team, you know?” So he’s back, one of the faces of the Florida program that first year head coach Jon Sumrall intends to restore to its championship glory. In the two years Baugh has been a Gator, he has accumulated 1,843 rushing yards, which sets him just outside the top 10 in UF history. If he can match last season’s 1,170 yards he can slide past Tim Tebow om Florida’s all-time rushing list. While answering questions, Baugh was asked the difference in the Gators under Sumrall and the previous years when Billy Napier was the coach. "We always had the pieces," Baugh said. "It was just more of the inside stuff with the team as to buying into the process, understanding the process a lot more just to keep going. And I feel like this year we have a lot of guys who want to and a lot of guys who are willing to sacrifice anything for the team." There is more want to among the new coaching staff as well. "Well, I can say for a fact that the coaching staff now, we have a lot more guys into certain areas as we have an OC, we have a defensive coordinator,” Baugh said. “You have the guys who stand around and help, you know? They all coach us like it's the last day. And with that, I feel like that makes us better each and every day and they push us 24/7." JOHN SUMRALL (FLORIDA HBC) SAID ITThe challenge presented by the entire Florida athletic department: “When you look on our campus, every sport has success. Every sport at the University of Florida has high standards, every sport is in pursuit of championships it feels like year in and year out …That's not exclusive to football. We have got to get Florida football back to that standard.” About his enthusiastic demeanor: “I'm just trying to inject an attitude we're going attack every day with enthusiasm. I may have some bad moments; I don't have bad days. I got life pretty good.” About NIL and the portal: “I do feel fortunate to maybe have only been a head coach since 2022, and so the transfer portal and NIL and all the chaos that has ensued is all I know. It's not like I've been doing it forever and had to shift mid-stream. It's all I've known.” When a reporter’s phone went off while he was speaking: “You would be kicked out of our team meeting, I swear. Like you're lucky I'm not going throw this podium right now. That drives me crazy. I would say who is that, but I'm not going to embarrass anybody.” The quarterback situation: “Do we have a Heisman Trophy candidate? No, but they both have enough arm talent. They both are adequate runners. Neither one of them are elite runners. Neither one of them are slugs either. Both have good arms, both have good releases. Both can make all the throws. So there's enough there for us to win with." Offensive linemen whose leadership has stood out: “Two transfers that have really set the standard how we work. Harrison Moore, offensive center from Georgia Tech, and TJ Shanahan, offensive guard from Penn State have both kind of elevated maybe the rhythm that that room marches to.” VERNELL BROWN III (FLORIDA WR) SAID IT About singing Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” at the end of the third quarter: “Yeah, of course, I sing along every time. You know, I know the song word for word. I didn't know it before I got there, but I was always mumbling it. But I mean it just means everything, just everything about The Swamp, the Florida Gator brand, Florida Gator football and the University of Florida in general means everything.” MYLES GRAHAM (FLORIDA LB) SAID IT About responsibility: “The coaches can do whatever Xs and Os, they can coach how hard they want, but we're out there making the plays. So it's really up to us. We have to be very focused and very honed in on what we're doing and just executing our job.” About Coach Jon Sumrall: “He's energetic. He's the same guy every single day. He's going to push us to be the best. He really loves us. He'll yell at us, but at the end of the day, he's going to remind us that he loves us. No matter what, he's always going to be there for us." PETE GOLDING (OLE MISS HBC) SAID IT About tampering accusations: “Like coaches, we're under contract. You don't think other ADs are calling us during the year? Same ones that are bitching about all this stuff are the same ones calling coaches to come to other schools, so it's ever where in every profession. I am not saying I have all the answers.” More about tampering accusations: “Would you quit your job before interviewing for another job or being offered another job? No. Nobody would. But we have a portal we can go in with a do not contact, I'm going quit my job where I'm getting paid and I'm going to go in saying I need a new job, which nobody can call me to interview. What have we created? So we've created it on top of representation for these players, right, that it's their responsibility to make sure they get paid really well and they also have opportunities. So by design it's put a lot of people in bad positions. Let's not act like recruiting in college football for the last 100 years is the most moral thing. What are we talking about here?” TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS (OLE MISS QB) SAID IT About the Heisman Trophy: “Individual awards are nice, but I'm nothing without my team, I'm nothing without my offensive line, I'm nothing without my defense and all the people that have poured all their time and energy into making the team the best.” KEWAN LACEY (OLE MISS RB) SAID IT Where his love of football comes from: “I would just say I feel like God gives everybody a purpose in life and He pushes them to live in their purpose by putting them through trials and tribulations. So I feel like God put football in my heart right now, and I'm just passionate for it. It's just something I don't have to think about doing.” MIKE ELKO (TEXAS A&M HBC) SAID IT About safety Marcus Ratcliffe: “He's put together one of the most thoughtful charity initiatives I've ever witnessed as a college football player. He created the Mission 312 Program; 3 for his jersey number, 12 for the 12th Man. It's a mission that helps give money to World War II veterans. So his organization donates $312 for every turnover we cause on defense at Texas A&M. They have raised over $30,000 for Army vets from World War II, so just a really, really cool kid who has done some amazing things with his platform and his opportunity to represent Texas A&M.” SARK SPEAKS OUT Texas coach Steve Sarkisian will take to the podium at SEC Media Days in Tampa today, but before leaving Austin he spoke to The Stampede about the lawlessness in college sports and the inability of the NCAA to enforce the rules. “I don’t want to be worried about my fourth wide receiver getting talked to by another school’s coach in pregame warmups,” Sarkisian said. “Hey, come transfer here at the end of the season. You’re not playing there anyway.’ Those are the things, like, if you do those things, there’s got to be consequences for breaking rules. And right now, we can’t govern our own rules, and that’s the most frustrating part of where we’re at in college football society right now. We can’t enforce our own laws. We can’t enforce our own rules. There’s no consequences right now. “We’re living in a lawless society, unfortunately, and that’s not good. That’s not good for anybody. It’s not even good for those that are breaking the rules and getting away with it because sooner or later, those rules are going to get enforced, and then what are you going to do? So I think that that’s some of the challenges that we’re going through.”

UAA Photo I have never — not once — heard a head coach admit on the record that he “didn’t know if I made some good decisions.” By Buddy Martin GatorBaitMedia.com “Golly.” That’s the word Jon Sumrall used to describe the “dumbest thing” he’s ever done, and for once in this business of hot-take huckstering, I believe the guy may have undersold it. Here’s what my man did, in case you were busy raking your yard or arguing about targeting calls: The Sunday after Tulane’s regular season ended, Sumrall accepted the Florida job. Four days later he was standing at a podium in Gainesville getting introduced as the 31st head coach in Gator history — while still technically employed by a program in New Orleans that had a conference championship game to win that Friday night. Then he juggled Early Signing Day for two rosters at once, coached Tulane into its first-ever College Football Playoff berth, watched the CFP selection show, high-fived his Green Wave kids goodbye, and got right back on a plane to go recruit against the very players he’d just told he couldn’t wait to see again. Two phones. Two hours of sleep. Two programs’ worth of signing-day chaos. And somewhere in there, a wife texting him about groceries while he’s trying to figure out if the incoming call is a five-star tackle or the Green Wave’s tight ends coach. Now, I’ve covered a lot of coaches in my time, going back to before Steve Spurrier was slinging visors in disgust. And I have never — not once — heard a head coach admit on the record that he “didn’t know if I made some good decisions.” That’s not false modesty. That’s a man telling you, straight up, that he ran his own program-launch through a blender for three weeks because the sport’s calendar is a cruel, broken joke and nobody in Indianapolis bothered to fix it before shipping Sumrall off to be the CEO of two SEC-and-AAC-adjacent football operations simultaneously. So let’s not mince words: taking on both jobs at once — agreeing to stay loyal to Tulane through a historic CFP run while simultaneously trying to stand up a brand-new Florida operation — sounds, on its face, like the kind of decision that gets you fired from both places. You can’t build a championship-caliber roster with your recruiting brain split down the middle like a bad piece of oak firewood. Ambition is one thing. Trying to be Nick Saban in two area codes at once is another. Did he? No. He didn’t make a mistake — and the record says so louder than his own self-deprecation. Both Tulane and Florida signed off on the arrangement precisely because it protected everyone’s interests: Tulane’s athletic director publicly credited “trust” and “transparency” for letting Sumrall finish what he started, and the Green Wave rode that stability to their first-ever CFP appearance. Meanwhile, Florida got a coach who hit signing day running instead of showing up to an empty cupboard — he and his staff went on to land a top-tier transfer haul (Georgia Tech QB Aaron Philo, receiver Eric Singleton Jr., a wave of offensive line reinforcements) while also talking core pieces like Jadan Baugh, Vernell Brown III, Myles Graham and Dallas Wilson into staying home. By spring, Florida had an 11-commitment surge in the 2027 class including a five-star running back, and by July, three of those very retained players are going to be standing next to him at SEC Media Days in Tampa. That’s not the résumé of a man who blew it. That’s the résumé of a man who nearly blew himself up personally so that neither program paid the price for his ambition. The “mistake,” if you want to call it that, was agreeing to the double duty at all — but the alternative was abandoning 18 signees mid-cycle or bailing on a Tulane locker room that trusted him to finish the job he started. Given those two lousy options, running himself into the ground for three weeks was the only decent call available. Those kind of human flaws in Sumrall are what makes him one of us. Sumrall didn’t make a huge mistake. College football’s coaching carousel calendar did — and he’s just the poor soul who got caught living through it with two phones and no sleep to show for it.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey addresses the media (SEC Photo) TAMPA – The college sports version of the most interesting man in the world took to the podium Monday morning to open Southeastern Conference Media Days at the J.W. Marriott Hotel with his annual state of the SEC address. Greg Sankey is without question the single most powerful man in all of college sports. He doesn’t speak with chest-thumping arrogance but rather with words that begin as a ripple in the water only to soon gather the momentum of an approaching tsunami. This four-day event that is the largest and most important college sports media gathering, a veritable who’s who of the writing and broadcasting world. They come to hear coaches and players from the 16 SEC schools offer up well-rehearsed rah-rah, sis boom bah, we’re going to be really good if God shines upon us talking points that are like the smoke from a good barbecue joint that makes our mouths water in anticipation. Prior to the coaches and players doing their usual dog and pony show routines, Sankey delivered a message that basically told the other conferences and schools that make up Division I that the SEC is big enough, bad enough and more than capable of going it alone if necessary. He wasn’t the least bit obnoxious nor was there even a hint of arrogance. It started with a message to the Nostradamus impersonators who have pointed to the Big Ten bringing home the big trophy in football three straight years and in both men’s and women’s basketball this year as evidence the Southeastern Conference's reign at the top is a thing of the past. “Our institutions had to navigate historic levels of change while continuing to provide outstanding educational and competitive opportunities for our student-athletes,” Sankey said. “That means that on the field we experienced a conference-record 13-team national championships. Our previous high was 10. We have 22 sports in which we sponsor championships. Over half of those right now are national champions. “We placed more teams than any other conference in the College Football Playoff. While we didn't achieve the ultimate destination of a national championship, the strength of this conference in football is clear. When you go beyond football and look at post-season participation in NCAA championships throughout our sports inventory, it is typical that Southeastern Conference teams fill most or the highest number of teams represented in those brackets.” That was a strong left jab, the kind that stings but is merely the setup for the knee-buckling right designed to score a first round TKO. The jab was effective, but follow-up was devastating. Hard core facts have a way of doing that. “Southeastern Conference football remains the second most-watched sports property in the United States, trailing only the National Football League,” Sankey said. “We account for just over 40 percent of the live viewership hours consumed among the four major conferences. Our football programs draw an average of 80,000 fans per game. That's our average number. This was the stat of my summer. That is the highest average attendance for any sport league in the world. We're national leaders in attendance in just about every other sport sponsored by the Southeastern Conference. Across every measure, interest in our league continues to grow.” Digest that. Forty percent of all televisions in the country that are tuned in on the power conferences – the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 – prefer the SEC. Sixteen SEC schools AVERAGE 80,000 fans per game. The NFL may attract more television viewers than the SEC, but when it comes to fannies in seats at stadiums, the SEC lives up to its motto: It just means more. The other leagues can’t compete with the passion and loyalty of Southeastern Conference fans. Sankey knows this which is why he has drawn a line in the sand, telling both the United States Senate, which is desperately trying to pass the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, and everybody else that while the SEC wants reform it won't come at the price of subjugation. Generally speaking, he is all for the kind of legislative relief that can stop the out of control spiral that threatens the very existence of all college sports, but in particular, football since it pays the freight for the other sports. Generally, not completely. As it is written, the bill sponsored by senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) has portions that Sankey and the school presidents and athletic directors that make up the SEC find unacceptable. When countering the Senate proposal, the SEC has offered what Sankey calls “10 common sense suggestions,” suggestions that he says are “not SEC issues” but designed to “benefit all of college athletics in providing a national solution.” The counter proposal is founded on four principles: 1. National standards that have to be enforced; 2. Federal legislation designed to kneecap state laws designed to circumvent rules; 3. Transparency and accountability; and 4. Fair and consistent standards rather than different rules for different organizations. "We believe changes to the act are necessary to make it most effective, and the changes we've suggested are both achievable and reasonable, and we're committed to working with Congress to move the legislation across the finish line," Sankey said. So what happens if the Senate refuses to compromise and the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 plus the other conferences band together and draw their own line in the dirt to oppose “big brother” and his assertive ways? Sankey has the resources to stand alone if that happens. The evolution of college sports has created two wealthy conferences – the SEC and Big Ten – and everybody else who mostly struggle to balance the books. You could call the SEC and Big Ten the haves and everybody else the have nots. The haves have lucrative television contracts. The have nots, who count pennies while the Big Ten and SEC are swimming in Olympic-sized pools filled with dollars want broadcast dollars pooled, which is what the NFL does. Of course, the NFL benefits from collective bargaining agreements, salary caps and beneficial labor laws, all of which are unavailable to college sports. Both the SEC and Big Ten are vehemently opposed to pooling their media rights, which is a major sticking point in the Protect College Sports Act. The SEC has a contract with ESPN/Disney/ABC that is good through 2034, expected to pay each league school anywhere from $20-to-40 million more than their ACC and Big 12 cousins. The Big Ten has a three network coalition between Fox, CBS and NBC that could match or exceed the payouts to SEC schools. So what would the SEC do if there is no compromise? The rumblings that the SEC would be willing to circle its wagons and go it alone aren’t fantasy. Georgia president Jere Morehead has suggested it and Sankey didn’t deny that it’s a possibility that is on the table for consideration. "People have talked about that," Sankey said. "The frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different. I do not believe that is a leverage point. I think that's honest communication." In other words, the most powerful man in all of college sports isn’t blinking, rather he has a plan B ready to go and if that means it is the SEC against the world, so be it. *** The lawsuits challenging the new 5-for-5 legislation keep mounting. Among the latest, 11 California athletes who have completed their fourth year have sued, asking for a temporary restraining order that will give them a fifth year of eligibility. Also, a former starting offensive guard at Texas, has sued in an Austin court for his fifth year. There will be more lawsuits and per an email with attorney Darren Heitz, who is at the forefront of these legal challenges, the suits will not be confined to just basketball and football. Sankey is not in favor of the way the NCAA has written these new rules which grant five years to athletes who have played three or fewer years while excluding last year’s fourth-year seniors. “I don't control that decision-making,” Sankey said. “Our input was that the NCAA not proceed on the timeline that it chose to introduce. The membership voted to pursue. I think there was more information and research that was needed. My observation comes from someone who back in the '90s, when I was in the Southland Conference office staff, wrote a resolution about looking at five seasons of eligibility.” The NCAA can choose to continue to fight these lawsuits in court, where local judges have ruled favorably for the athletes, or compromise by grandfathering in last year’s fourth-year seniors. Compromise would be prudent since the NCAA keeps losing in court and it is costing millions in legal fees, but Sankey said he is unaware which direction the NCAA chooses to go. “You're going to have to ask Charlie Baker and his legal team how they intend to defend those lawsuits and whether they'll make a pivot,” Sankey said.

TAMPA – It is the pinnacle event of the college football talking season. Four head coaches and some of their players were on full display on day one of SEC Media Days Monday at the J.W. Marriott. Here are a few excerpts of things said from Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri. OKLAHOMA Brent Venables, Oklahoma head coach On the difference in this year’s team: “A year ago on offense, we had nine first-year starters. This year we've got several returning starters, give or take seven or eight guys coming back.” On improving the offense: “Make no mistake, we've got a lot of improvement to do there offensively speaking in being able to run the football. We have to run it a heck of a lot better than we did a year ago. I believe in not only them but the other parts around them offensively.” John Mateer, Oklahoma quarterback On last year: "I cringe when I watch the film. I've got to be better. We're all working towards it, we've all done a great job. If the quarterback doesn't perform, then it's hard for everybody.” On maturing: "I've got to be ready to go all the time. Being a year older, being more mature, that's all natural. Going through and learning to control your emotions, taking it on the chin like a man – learning how to be a man. It brought me more wisdom." Taylor Wein, Oklahoma EDGE On last year’s lack of turnovers: "We didn't have our first turnover, I think, until Week 5," Wein said. "That's not the standard that we have at Oklahoma. And we had a really elite defense last year. That's something we struggled with." TENNESSEE Josh Heupel, Tennessee HBC On experience everywhere but quarterback: “You know, for us this year, we do have a lot of experience coming back. I think that’s a positive. You look at four returning starters on the offensive line, a couple wide receivers, your tight ends, played a bunch of football, running back position. So I think it’s important that the 10 other guys play extremely well around them. I think, you know, special teams defensively is important that you’re playing at a high level with a young guy to keep him out of adverse situations. You know, that quarterback’s got to play on the right side of the competitive fence and be a playmaker, but don’t put the ball in harm either.” On Lane Kiffin (now LSU) returning to Knoxville: "I certainly hope that our fans haven't cooled off, whether it's the grocery stores stocked up on mustard, or the sports stores that they've got reinforcements on the golf balls, hopefully Knoxville is ready for his arrival." Desean Bishop, Tennessee running back On his running mindset: “I want to punish people when I run the ball, so I have the mindset of not getting tackled and just fighting for as much yards as I can every time I touch the ball, just utilizing every carry I get because it could be limited.” KENTUCKY Will Stein, Kentucky HBC On why UK can win: “I think because of me, to be honest. I think ’cause of me.” On what it takes to win: “I think I know what it takes. I've seen it at the highest levels. I know what it takes to recruit at this level, and you just got to believe, man. You just got to put the ball down and play. There's not really much else to be said. Is it going to happen overnight? I don't know. I really don't. If I had a crystal ball, everybody in this room would be really, really rich right now.” Willie Rodriguez, Kentucky tight end On HBC Will Stein: “Confidence and swagger. I would say the swagger piece is something you feel with somebody. I walked in the room with him. He sat me down, and I could just feel, he’s a dude.” Kenny Minchey, Kentucky quarterback On why UK: “I value coaching a lot. That’s what led me to Kentucky.” MISSOURI Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri HBC On running back Ahmad Hardy, who suffered a gunshot wound earlier in the summer: “My anticipation of what I’ve seen, the way he’s attacked his rehab: He’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before.” On playoff expansion: "I think this elimination of conference championship games, while I understand it as a opportunity to help you win the national championship, doesn't make sense because it puts too much emphasis on a singular outcome. And we can talk all we want about the process, the process, the process, but don't focus on the outcome, and then everything we're doing in college football is about the outcome. One single champion, and again, that doesn't make sense to me. So again, conference championships are important, need to be preserved. They're highly entertaining. They're highly valuable from a monetary standpoint. They're highly valuable from a fan engagement standpoint. So throwing those away so you can get a bad matchup between 24 and 18 doesn't make a lot of sense to me.”

A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: Thirty seems to be a very good number for Florida football. For example, in 1996 Steve Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy, the Gators went 9-2 and beat Georgia Tech 27-10 in the Orange Bowl, putting an unceremonious end to the legendary career of Bobby Dodd. Thirty years later, Spurrier coached the Gators to a 12-1 record that included Florida’s fourth straight SEC championship, a 52-20 humiliation of Florida State and Bobby Bowden in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship and the 1996 Heisman Trophy for Danny Wuerffel. The 1966 season in so many ways was an announcement that Florida football was officially here to stay. Bear Bryant had called Florida a “sleeping giant” but Spurrier represented the great awakening. Spurrier captured the nation’s imagination as the one quarterback you would want on your team if you needed a defy the odds fourth quarter comeback. The late, great Atlanta Journal columnist Furman Bisher wrote, “Blindfolded, with his back to the wall, with his hands tied behind him, Steve Spurrier would be a two-point favorite at his own execution.” Thirty years later, Spurrier forever turned Florida’s back on the “wait ‘til next year” cry that for decades defined the futility of failing to win the SEC. SEC titles were becoming an expectation, not a pipe dream, but a national championship trumped even winning the SEC. The son of a preacher (Spurrier) who won the Heisman, won the national championship with another son of a preacher (Wuerffel) winning the Heisman. In the 30 years since that magical 1996 season, Florida football has had its highs – two national titles in three years by Urban Meyer, a Heisman by another son of a preacher (Tim Tebow) – but too many lows highlighted by a revolving door of coaches since 2011 have turned back the clock to the sleeping giant days. Charged with another awakening is Jon Sumrall, who has taken on the rebuild with a systematic fill in the gaps approach. He still hasn’t coached a game at Florida, but in less than six months it seems there are not only fewer holes in the roster but more speculation that the Gators could very well be a team nobody wants to play in 2026. Writes Bill Connelly of ESPN about the upcoming season, “So if the defense clicks like I expect, a good season is on the table. And if (Aaron) Philo also thrives, there is at worst top-20 potential.” At worst, top-20 potential. Let that sink in. What is the best case scenario here? Could the Gators contend? Could they win nine or more games this year? Nine will put them in College Football Playoff contention. A ten win SEC team might be impossible to keep out of the playoff. A dream? Yeah, but so was 1966 and so was 1996. Good things just might come in thirty year increments when it comes to Florida football. THE CASE FOR DENZEL ABERDEEN AND A FIFTH SEASON As expected, the NCAA will be busy in court in the days and weeks ahead as lawsuits are filed across the country challenging its exclusion of last year’s fourth-year seniors in its new 5-for-5 rule. The new rule allows a third-year junior from 2026 two more years of eligibility but a fourth-year senior is out of eligibility. The rule lacks fairness which is why attorney Darren Heitner, a Florida undergrad and law graduate, said in an email to me, “That's precisely what we are arguing in the now pending case in Ohio and what we will be arguing elsewhere.” Denzel Aberdeen has petitioned the NCAA for a waiver that will grant him a fifth year to play basketball for the Gators next season. There are no certainties when it comes to dealing with the NCAA, so while Aberdeen’s case stands a good chance of a positive decision, he has to be prepared to take legal action. Based on previous NCAA inconsistencies in the waiver decisions, Aberdeen should have no trouble winning in court. Speaking to Joe Tipton of On3, Florida coach Todd Golden commented, “We’re ready to take legal action if needed. Our hope is that there’s some common sense that comes into play before that. And they look at a guy that’s 22 years old, so way younger than a lot of these guys that are still playing college that, again, is back working for his undergraduate degree within his five-year clock. There’s a lot of things that are going his way. So, we’ll do what we need to do to make sure he’s supported properly.” UF SOFTBALL: GATORS LAND ALL-AMERICAN TRANSFER Tim Walton picked up an important piece of the 2027 puzzle this week when he landed former LSU All-American Tori Edwards from the transfer portal. As a redshirt freshman, Edwards hit .383 with 18 homers and 73 RBI, earning SEC Freshman of the Year, All-SEC and All-America honors. Last season, she hit .284 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI. Edwards figures to start at first base in a revamped Florida infield that includes Gabia Comia at second base, incoming freshman Nina Carcone at shortstop, and incoming freshman slugger Kennedy Bradley at third. Edwards is the second transfer signed by Walton. Earlier he landed Duke catcher Kaira Rodriguez. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: As the Protect College Sports Act inches toward the finish line that will make it the law of the land, there are many tight sphincters in Tallahassee and among the Florida State faithful scattered throughout the state and country. Mired in nearly $500 million in athletic department debt, FSU is feeling the financial squeeze. With very little relief being offered by the Atlantic Coast Conference and a proposed private equity scheme spinning like a tire in red clay mud on a rainy day, FSU is in desperate need of a helping hand up from its cousins in the more prosperous Southeastern Conference and Big Ten. Forget that if and when the new law passed. A very interesting provision of the Protect College Sports Act is it prevents expansion by conferences that earn at least $700 million in revenue. There are four of them – the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12. Not only does that crush the upward mobility dreams of FSU, Clemson, Miami and others who wish to leave their current confines for bites of the expensive apples that hang from the trees of the SEC and Big Ten, but it also prevents Group of Six (American, Sun Belt, Mountain West, Pac-12, Conference USA and MAC) schools from leaving their underpaying confines for a more prosperous league. The bill, as written today, also prevents Notre Dame from joining a conference whose revenues are at least $700 million. Expansion has taken the Southeastern Conference from 10 to 12 teams in 1992 when Arkansas (formerly of the Southwest Conference) and South Carolina (independent) joined, to 14 in 2012 when Texas A&M and Missouri (both from the Big 12) were added, to 16 in 2024 when Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12. At 16, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey believes he has the perfect league put together in a nice geographic footprint that both the networks and fan bases find appealing. Revenues escalated to more than $1 billion for the 2024-25 athletic year resulting in distribution of $72.4 million to its member schools. If current projections hold true, then there will be a steady increase until each school receives a payout of more than $100 million by the year 2030. The SEC has a lucrative contract with ESPN/ABC that will be rewritten, providing even more revenue. The Big Ten, which has expanded from 10 to 18 teams and has taken on a coast-to-coast footprint with Maryland and Rutgers on the east coast and UCLA, Southern Cal, Oregon and Washington on the west coast, brought in more than $1.3 billion for 2024-25, paying its member schools $76.1 million each. Like the SEC, the Big Ten is on a clear path to its schools getting a yearly paycheck of more than $100 million. The staggering numbers of the SEC and Big Ten have the ACC and Big 12 gasping for air. The ACC eked past $800 million in revenue for 2024-25, the Big 12 $710 million. Neither the ACC nor the Big 12 are going to see revenues increase to anything close to those of the SEC and Big Ten. Their network contracts pale in comparison and attendance figures add to the problem. In 2025, average attendance at an SEC game was 80,362 and 64,662 for the Big Ten. In the Big 12, average attendance was 48,003, the ACC just 47,312. The numbers don’t lie which clearly explains why FSU, Clemson and Miami are all but begging their big brothers (SEC and Big Ten) to welcome them in as refugees. Seeing the cost of doing business increasing on a daily basis and league revenues failing to match athletic inflation, even North Carolina, Duke and Virginia from the ACC and Kansas from the Big 12 have put out feelers that they would be amenable to invitations to leave for greener pastures. Unless the SEC and Big Ten decide to expand prior to the implementation of the Protect College Sports Act, there will be no lifelines extended for the ACC and Big 12 schools that want out. Of course, we can expect lawsuits, always the case when little brother types feel wronged or cut out but lawsuits take time and time does not favor Florida State, deepest in athletic department debt of the ACC and Big 12 schools that desperately want to change leagues. Sometimes we laugh when we hear jokes that FSU may be forced to resort to holding car washes and bake sales to make a dent in the crippling debt but nobody seems to be offering any practical solutions. Are there practical solutions? That might be the more appropriate question to ask right now. If the possibility of leaving for another conference, particularly the SEC, is off the table, then FSU can only look back to 1992 when it chose the ACC over an invitation to join the SEC. It probably seemed like a good idea at the moment, but this is now, that was then.