Florida Gators won’t have Jon Sumrall full-time for at least two more weeks, and he’s showing why that’s a good thing

Jon Sumrall coaching Tulane in the College Football Playoff is proving more and more why he is the right hire for the Florida Gators.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Coach legend Steve Spurrier, left, talks with new UF head football coach Jon Sumrall at the James W. “Bill” Heavener Football Training Center in Gainesville, FL on Monday, December 1, 2025. Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun
Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun

The Florida Gators’ hiring of head coach Jon Sumrall was an interesting one on the surface. Many tried to make the comparison to the hiring of Billy Napier because both came from Group of Five schools in Louisiana. It’s completely understandable for the fanbase to make that distinction, but they couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Napier has just been hired as the head coach of the James Madison Dukes, where he will officially take over once the College Football Playoff concludes, as Bob Chesney will continue to coach them throughout the playoff. Napier tweeted right after he was officially announced as the head coach, the same thing that he did when he got the Gators job.

Jon Sumrall continues to prove he is not Billy Napier

Keep in mind that Napier has still not released any statement about his time at the University of Florida, which is surprising. That’s not something anyone would have expected. Napier was always about building culture and doing the right thing, and not saying anything on the way out feels like it’s going against that.

The Gators’ hiring of Sumrall brought back many feelings of Napier, as mentioned above. But what Sumrall is doing shows that he’s anything but the same as Napier.

On Friday night, the Tulane Green Wave beat North Texas, 34-21, to win the American Conference Championship. That propelled them to the College Football Playoff, where they will face the Ole Miss Rebels in a rematch from earlier this season. When they were announced as the 11th seed, Sumrall didn’t celebrate; he just stood and smiled, taking it all in while his players expressed joy.

Sumrall continues to prove that he is so incredibly different from Napier in every way. He is working hard to make both schools as good as possible throughout the entire transition, and the proof is in the pudding.

“Trying to juggle a lot of different things. I officially accepted the job on Sunday and told my team Sunday afternoon. Had a walk-through Sunday night with our team to get ready. We’re playing our short week, because we played last Saturday, and so we play Friday,” said Sumrall after accepting the Gators’ job. “And so had a walk through Sunday practice, Monday morning, got on a plane, went to Gainesville, did the team meeting to see those guys media availability, got right back on the plane, came back to New Orleans to get ready for our game. Have not slept much.”

Sumrall is also getting some invaluable experience for his time in Gainesville by coaching in the College Football Playoff. With the Gators potentially taking a massive leap next year and beyond under Sumrall, it could prove to be a big deal.

Get excited, Gators fans. Sumrall continues to show he’s the guy.

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