‘It’ll be a footnote’ — Jon Sumrall asked the obvious interview question, and Gators AD Scott Stricklin had the perfect response

Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin was well aware of the perception that came with hiring Jon Sumrall, and he was ready for it.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 1, 2025; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin shakes hands with Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall during the press conference at the Heavener Football Training Center at the University of Florida.
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We knew that the Florida Gators had LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin at the top of their list after they fired head coach Billy Napier. They made a conscious effort to bring Kiffin to Gainesville, but things broke down.

They quickly pivoted to Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall, and they came to terms quickly on a contract to make him the next leading man in Gainesville. The hire initially was one that the fanbase didn’t love, and it’s because of the similarities Sumrall shared with Napier.

Scott Stricklin didn’t shy away from the tough questions

It was known to everyone how the optics were going to look in hiring Sumrall. A Group of Five coach from the state of Louisiana with over 40 wins in four seasons at the helm, and the top candidate at the level was never going to sit well with Gators’ fans. That was something that Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin was well aware of the optics, and was fully expecting the question from Sumrall.

Stricklin spoke to Andy Staples of On3 Sports about the hiring, and he was very forthright about that perception.

“Hey man, initially, people are not going to like it. But if you’re the right guy and you have the right energy and you win enough games, it’ll be a footnote.”

That’s the big thing with the hire. Nothing really matters until the games start getting played on Saturdays. When Napier was hired, it was viewed as a home run for the Gators. He was highly sought-after for multiple hiring cycles for the job he did at Lousiana-Lafayette, and to his credit, Napier did a great job rebuilding the infrastructure and improving the facilities at Florida. He just didn’t win on Saturday.

Sumrall might be similar to Napier, but how he approaches things is significantly different. He is much more of a no-nonsense kind of guy. He’s also much closer to that of other Group of Five hire Urban Meyer versus Napier.

Nothing will matter if Sumrall ends up being the good hire that many analysts, including myself, think he will be. Until then, Stricklin understood the risks and still believed it was the right hire.

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