Florida Gators continue to be overlooked at SEC media days, but it’s completely understandable
Everyone wanted to talk to Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall at SEC Media Days, but they still aren’t confident.
The Florida Gators are going to be a fascinating team to watch during the 2026 season. New head coach Jon Sumrall is one of the more popular coaches in America, and it’s all due to his personality. Even with that, the media at SEC Media Days didn’t feel the same about how his team will perform, predicting them to finish ninth in the SEC.
It always feels low to see the Gators outside of the top 5-6 teams, but that’s where things are at the first year post-Billy Napier.
Florida Gators predictied to finish 9th
It’s a simple one here for the Gators being predicted to finish 9th: they have a lot to prove.
Last year, there was a lot of hope with DJ Lagway at quarterback. He had very good odds to win the Heisman Trophy and a lot of weapons, paired with a veteran offensive line. That line had two players selected on day two of the NFL Draft in Jake Slaughter and Austin Barber. It didn’t go well, as the Gators finished 4-8, including a 3-4 record when Napier was fired.
Now that Sumrall has taken over, the biggest question is going to be who will start at quarterback? Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. are the two top players in the competition, but don’t sleep on true freshman Will Griffin, who won the Gatorade Player of the Year award in the state of Florida last year. That uncertainty, along with some serious questions at other positions, creates variables for those media members to consider when creating their rankings.
We did a simulation of the season with Grok last week, and it had the Gators at 8-4, which would be a good first season, especially with a top-10 recruiting class coming in. How will it play out? That’s where the fun lies.
