Jon Sumrall continues adding to his Florida Gators staff, with his latest hire raising questions

The latest hire by Gators head coach Jon Sumrall brings continuity to Buster Faulkner’s staff, and could end with a talented player in the transfer portal.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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New UF head football coach Jon Sumrall speaks during a press conference at the James W. “Bill” Heavener Football Training Center in Gainesville, FL on Monday, December 1, 2025.
Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun

Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall continues to add to his coaching staff. After adding running backs coach Chris Foster, Sumrall continued by adding Georgia Tech Yellowjackets wide receivers coach Trent McKnight to his staff. He will reportedly be working with inside receivers, with Marcus Davis coaching the outside receivers.

Jon Sumrall reunites OC Buster Faulkner with Trent McKnight

Continuity isn’t always the most important thing when it comes to a coaching staff, as Sumrall’s been outspoken about not hiring “his friends.” However, it can be a huge benefit, because it allows you to adapt to your new surroundings. McKnight worked the last two seasons in Atlanta with offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.

McKnight has an interesting resume. After starting his coaching career at Alabama as a recruiting intern in 2007, he went to the high school coaching ranks for a year before heading to his alma mater Samford. He spent seven of the next eight years there with a bevy of titles, and parlayed that to the wide receivers coach at Georgia State from 2017-2021. After two years as their offensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023, McKnight joined Faulkner at Georgia Tech.

The list of wide receivers McKnight has coached has a couple of impressive names, the biggest of which is Penny Hart, who lit up the Senior Bowl before going undrafted and bouncing around the NFL. The other standout name is Eric Singleton Jr. He was with McKnight and Faulkner at Georgia Tech in 2024, where he put up some impressive numbers. With the Auburn Tigers firing Hugh Freeze, Singleton could end up on the move, and the Gators would make a lot of sense.

McKnight will be working with the likes of Vernell Brown III and T.J. Abrams in Gainesville. Sumrall has made a lot of coaching hires over the last couple of weeks, and the staff as an overall whole looks impressive.

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