‘Really Pleased’: Jon Sumrall Addresses Florida Offensive Line
The offensive line has been a question mark for the Florida Gators following the spring game. Jon Sumrall said the weight room was a big disappointment and that the position group wasn’t where it needed to be when he took over.
At SEC Media Days on Wednesday, the Florida coach addressed the current state of the unit.
“I’ve been really pleased with the growth of our offensive line this summer,” he said. “In particular, the weight room.”
Having a strong line of scrimmage is a must for the Gators if they want to compete in the SEC. Sumrall went as far as to call the SEC a “line-of-scrimmage league,” saying the team needs to be physical up front to win.
The position group has taken strides toward improving both in the weight room and on the field.
“They embraced the challenge and worked hard,” he said. “I think we got great leadership in that room.”
Sumrall pointed to transfers Harrison Moore and TJ Shanahan as two players who have helped set a standard in the weight room and elevate the position group.
Moore played center for Georgia Tech last season under new Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, starting eight of the 11 games he appeared in. Shanahan started five games at guard for Penn State last season before following offensive line coach and former Florida national champion Phil Trautwein to Gainesville.
Through spring ball, the coaching staff experimented with players at multiple positions to find the best fit across the line. That evaluation is still ongoing heading into fall camp.
“I don’t know if it was fair to them in the spring to really assess where we’ll play as a whole unit on the O-line come this fall,” Sumrall said.
Of the 20 offensive linemen on Florida’s current roster, nine are freshmen. This year’s starting unit will look almost entirely different from last season’s after Sumrall lost key players in center Jake Slaughter and lineman Austin Barber.
“We’ve only got two guys that really started football games at the University of Florida that are returners,” Sumrall said.
Guard Knijeah Harris is the only returning lineman who started every game for the Gators in 2025, while 2024 All-SEC Freshman Bryce Lovett started two games and played in all 12.
Sumrall said he’s proud of where the group stands heading into fall camp and believes the players have embraced the challenge.
“Those guys have worked incredibly hard,” he said. “They have a lot of pride in their craft and what they’re doing. And I’m very direct. When we do something well, I tell our guys we did it well. When we don’t, I let them know it wasn’t good enough.”
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