The building blocks for a return to the top of the college football world were laid for Florida in the waning days of November, with the Gators hiring Tulane coach Jon Sumrall. That goal is starting to be realized after UF’s 52-28 win over then-No. 4 Ole Miss.
The win itself displays the rise back to national prominence with the alignment of a talented team with strong coaching. The Gators never logged a top-five win under former coach Billy Napier, as Napier’s best result came in his debut 29-26 win over No. 7 Utah.
That is not the only glaring statistic that displays the shortcomings of the former coach and the quick success of the new regime. The 2025 team that was led by Napier, then wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales after Napier’s dismissal, only scored 29 touchdowns across 12 games. In 2026, Sumrall’s squad has already reached the end zone 28 times through just four contests.
The Gators offense has showcased itself in full force, with 214 points being the most in history for an SEC coach through their first four games. Sumrall has already matched last year’s win total through four tries and also done something the Gators could not in 2025: win on the road.
Those accomplishments only four games in echo back to a statement that the first-year head coach greeted Gainesville with.
“I’m built for this job. I was made for this job,” Sumrall said on Dec. 1 when introduced as the 31st head coach in program history. “Winners win; I’m a winner; we’re going to win.”
Sumrall’s declaration may not have been too far off nearly 10 months ago, as the national noise around the Gators continues to swell. Florida found itself at No. 21 in the Week 3 AP Top 25 Poll after the 44-39 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium over Auburn. The Gators rose once again following the 52-28 victory over the Rebels, this time boasting a 13-spot jump to No. 8 due to the result. The ranking is the highest for Florida since the 2020 preseason AP Top 25 Poll and the first time the Gators are inside the top 10 in 261 weeks.
It’s not just the AP voters who view Florida as a top team. ESPN’s Heather Dinich, CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli and Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt all have Florida in their College Football Playoff projections. Dinich gave the Gators their highest seeding out of the trio at No. 8, a spot that means The Swamp would be the host site of the first round of the playoffs.
“The selection committee would honor the head-to-head win against Ole Miss, which would still be one of its top-12 teams,” Dinich wrote. “The group would also reward the Gators for a road win against Auburn, which is a 3-1 opponent with a season-opening win against Baylor.”
Dinich added that the Gators looked like “one of the most balanced offenses in the top 12” and that Florida would be rewarded for their strength of record. A big part of the flourishing offense is how impressive Florida’s running game has been through the first four games of the season.
There may have been skepticism around Sumrall’s hiring when it was made, but all doubts are surely gone. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin made the correct choice and if things continue on as hot as they have started, Florida supporters will have plenty more to cheer for as the season progresses.
With Sumrall launching the Gators into SEC Championship and College Football Playoff contention, the sky is the limit. However, the focus remains on the goals at hand for the staff, with another chance to improve Florida’s 4-0 record at No. 25 Missouri on Saturday. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. on WRUF 98.1-FM/850-AM/103.7 HD2.
“The same pats you’re getting if you go out and lay an egg, it’ll be the same hands hitting you in the back with a knife in it. I tell our guys to ignore all of that,” Sumrall said. “The goal is how do we get to 1-0 each week.”
