Jon Sumrall on 2026 Gators Season: ‘We’ll Have A Shot’

Florida coach Jon Sumrall had plenty to say about his debut season at Tuesday’s SEC’s spring meetings, from the College Football Playoff to his transition from Tulane to Gainesville.

Top of mind, Sumrall focused on his desire to bring in toughness from his past experience at Troy and Tulane University.

“At Florida, if we can get the bodies we got to be tough and play with a competitive edge, I think we’ll have a shot,” he said.

Sumrall also shared his opinion on the possible CFP expansion, from 12 teams to 16 or 24. Recently, the Power Four has been pushing talks about playoff expansion with the SEC and Big 10 spearheading the conversation. The SEC favors a 16-team format and the Big 10 favors a 24-team format.

“More football is good football,” Sumrall said.

For 2026, the CFP remains in a 12-team format. If any changes are to be made for the 2027 season, the decision must be approved by the NCAA by Dec. 1.

Though in favor of a playoff expansion, his focus is centered on building a roster and coaching.

However, in the NIL era building a roster takes money, and Sumrall said that he has spent most of his time having conversations with “people” to help raise more money to compete with the rest of the conference.. 

“We’re not necessarily last,” Sumrall said. “I’m also fairly confident we’re not first.”

When Sumrall took the job at the University of Florida in December, he remained at Tulane through the completion of the season which ended in a loss to Ole Miss in the CFP. 

He did not want to leave Tulane as it started the postseason, saying the players had given him too much.

“If Florida or any other school that wanted to offer me their head coaching job was going to tell me the terms they needed it to be on,” Sumrall said, “the answer for me was ‘I can’t take the job, sorry.’”

During a three-week period, Sumrall traveled between New Orleans and Gainesville for press conferences, practices, recruiting visits and games. Sumrall said it was stupid of him but does not regret it.

“Full disclosure, it was a s— show,” Sumrall said.

Sumrall would like to see college football, in the NIL era, align more closely with the NFL. He said recruiting should be like the NFL draft, with the amount paid based on tiers, starting with the highest amount. 

“You could be the Yankees or the Royals, you don’t know what you got,” Sumrall said. “It’s such a wide range and there’s no real transparency involved.”

Sumrall also believes the college football season needs to be moved back and the high school signing day needs to be moved back to December to compensate for the transfer portal window being moved back. He said the NCAA is overcorrecting.

“It feels like you’ve been drinking,” Sumrall said. “That’s like mixing tequila, bourbon and beer all at the same time.”

The Sumrall era in Gainesville starts Sept. 5 against Florida Atlantic at 7:45 p.m. on the SEC Network.

Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Football