Florida Gators continue to make moves revamping the football program, this time calling up alum Howie Roseman to get it done

The Florida Gators hiring general manager Dave Caldwell is a fascinating one, but it’s someone Jon Sumrall obviously wanted.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Feb 27, 2019; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell speaks to media during the 2019 NFL Combine at Indianapolis Convention Center.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida Gators have made big waves one day after finishing the 2025 season with a record of 4-8. The Jadan Baugh game, where he ran for 266 yards and two touchdowns, culminated in the Gators finding their next head coach.

Sunday brought news that the Gators are expected to hire Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall to the same position, with a contract that will pay him $7.5 million annually. That is $500,000 more than what Napier was getting paid.

While it’s not the hire that many wanted, he looks to be the right guy for the job. However, in a similar way to what we thought with Billy Napier, it’s going to be all about hiring the right people.

Florida Gators set to hire former Jacksonville Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell

The Gators aren’t messing around when it comes to the future of the program, as they are set to hire a new general manager in Philadelphia Eagles executive Dave Caldwell.

It’s worth noting a couple of things here. First off, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is a Florida alum, so there is going to be some familiarity with him. Plus, Caldwell was the general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013-2020, which has a lot of crossover between the two fanbases.

Now, things didn’t go too well for Caldwell with the Jaguars. They did have that glorious 2017 run, where they were a poor call away from making the Super Bowl. Even with that, they went 39-86 with him in control of the roster. That’s not exactly a good resume for success.

However, people change, and running a college program presents different challenges, and are ones which Caldwell could be better suited to handle. It’s someone that Sumrall obviously prioritized during this process, and we will see how it goes.

Priority number one is going to be keeping the recruiting class intact, which still has all 19 recruits who committed to Napier before he was fired. Nail early signing day, and then they can get things rolling from there.

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