Sumrall Joined Paul Finebaum Show Before Orange and Blue Game
Florida head coach Jon Sumrall appeared on the Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday to discuss the transformation of his Gators squad ahead of the annual Orange and Blue Game.
Sumrall has been hard at work developing Florida football during 14 spring practices. After a recent streak of disappointing seasons for the Gators, Sumrall hopes that he and his staff have what it takes to finally make the program click.
“I’m really confident in the staff we put together,” Sumrall said. “I know what it looks like to win. I know what it takes to win.”
However, Sumrall acknowledged that turning the program around would not be an easy or quick task.
“This is almost like turning around a cruise ship,” Sumrall said. “It doesn’t happen in 30 seconds. There’s a lot of work that lies ahead.”
The first challenge in revamping the program lies in filling the starting quarterback position.
The ongoing battle for the role is between young players with promising talent. Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo and returning redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. have been among the names Sumrall consistently lists as competitors for the starting role.
Sumrall also flashed a potential wild-card pick: four-star recruit and true freshman Will Griffin.
“A young kid with a big arm. He’s a mid-year freshman with a lot to learn, but his arm talent is real.”
Despite their lack of experience, Sumrall is confident in the potential of his quarterback contenders.
“I feel like we can win in a lot of different ways with what that group looks like,” he said.
The competition for the new Gators quarterback will continue to rage on, as Sumrall clarified that his staff will not announce a starting quarterback from the Orange and Blue Game.
Following Saturday’s game, all eyes will turn towards football season. When asked about his realistic expectations for this year, Sumrall’s answer was simple: to win.
“I don’t ever sit in this seat and go, ‘Well, I hope we finish 7-5, or 8-4,’” he said. “I don’t want to lose ever.”
Even with this mindset, Sumrall acknowledges that Florida football is far from being a championship-caliber team. After an underwhelming 4-8 past season, there is lots of work remaining to be done that starts with reframing the mindset and expectations of the team.
“We’re going to compete everyday within our own building and whenever we show up on Saturday,” Sumrall said. “It doesn’t matter who we play: anyone, anywhere, anytime. We have a competitive edge about us that can never be questioned. We have to develop that.”
Sumrall said that this mindset and the intensity of the program were absent when he first walked through the door. Since assuming the head coach position, he has focused on developing his team’s culture.
“All culture to me is a combination of what you promote and encourage added up with what you tolerate and allow,” he said.
For Sumrall, the culture he is working to build is about giving your all every single day and never releasing the gas pedal.
“Everybody that’s been around that’s seen what we’re doing is like ‘Man, this feels different,’ and I don’t know what it felt like before, but I know what it needs to feel like, Sumrall said.”
Category: Football, Gators Football, SEC
