Jon Sumrall’s To-Do List: How to Fix Florida in 3 Steps
After weeks of speculation about who would take over as head coach, the Florida announced Sunday that Jon Sumrall will be the future of the Gators.
Sumrall replaces Billy Napier, who went 22-23 and 12-16 in SEC play over four seasons, which was the worst record for a Florida coach since the late 1940s. Napier coached his last game on Oct. 18 against Mississippi State. He was fired the next day.
Urban Meyer is the last coach in program history not to be fired, so what will the future of Sumrall look like? Well, there are three things he must do to get Florida football back to where it needs to be:
Hire an offensive coordinator
The biggest frustration with Napier was his inability to hire an offensive coordinator in his four seasons at UF. This season, especially, the offense struggled with scoring and converting third downs.
Against Miami and Texas A&M, Florida went 0-13 and 1-10 in 3rd down efficiency. The offense ranked 98th in total offense, 122nd in scoring and 21.6 points per game
Sumrall said in his introductory news conference at UF on Monday that he thinks of explosive, mixing tempos and threatening “every blade of grass” when it comes to the offense. His priority will be to assemble an incredible staff. He included that an offensive coordinator is mandatory for the program.
Sumrall intends to revitalize the offense by utilizing the entire field and using an offensive line that is a force to be reckoned with.
Retain and develop talent
Sumrall must jump on the recruiting train fast, but he needs to make sure that key players stay at Florida and are developed properly. DJ Lagway, Jaden Baugh, Myles Graham and others attended the news conference, and Sumrall assured the team that they have his full support.
“While maybe future Gators matter to me, current Gators matter more,” he said. “I’m going to give more to the guys in the back of the room that are on our football team than I’m going to give anybody who could become on our team.”
With the December signing period starting on Wednesday, Sumrall, Scott Stricklin and new General Manager David Caldwell held a Zoom call with the 2026 commits to thank them for their patience and dedication to UF during this time of change.
Since then, only 4-star running back Carsyn Baker de-committed from UF on Monday night. However, four-star quarterback Will Griffin and others signed with the Gators on National Signing Day. The next step will be to preserve as much of the talent on the team as possible during the January transfer portal.
Whether it’s the portal or a recruiting class, he will have to make recruiting a priority at Florida.
Bring A Championship Mentality
The biggest thing for Sumrall is to have fire under his belt and to have a winning mentality, which is something that has been lacking at Florida for some time. During his news conference, he said that he is a winner and will win in Gainesville. He looks to bring long-term success to Florida.
Sumrall seems to understand the standards and expectations that Gator Nation has for him, and he is looking forward to bringing the team back to the elite level it once was.
Danny Wuerffel, Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer were in attendance at Sumrall’s arrival on campus, and they fully support his passion and willingness to win at Florida.
“The standard here is championships,” Sumrall said. “That’s why I came. I’m built for this job.”
Category: College Football, Gators Football
