Jon Sumrall highlights why he waited for the Florida Gators head coaching job, and it relates directly to Billy Napier

It’s eerily familiar.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Florida head football coach Jon Sumrall speaks during a press conference after spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun

The Florida Gators made a heavy pursuit for Lane Kiffin to be their next head coach before he took the LSU Tigers job. They ended up making the right hire with Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. They announced the hire the Monday after Thanksgiving, and he’s given every indication that it was the right one.

We are a few weeks into spring practice, and things are looking great. They are working through the quarterback battle between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. and Dallas Wilson is finally healthy.

Jon Sumrall’s acceptance of the Florida Gators job was a calculated choice

Finding the next head coaching job wasn’t a priority for Sumrall after the 2024 season, and the Gators head coaching job was one of the reasons why. He appeared on Josh Pate’s College Football show to discuss that, among other things.

“After the 2024 season, I named names, but I turned down a job or two,” said Sumrall. “Through the 2025 process of jobs popping up, I made decisions completely separate from Florida, on other schools. Before I take that job, I think I’m just going to stay at Tulane. And I don’t care what league you’re in, what power for, what conference, it didn’t matter to me. If it wasn’t right, it wasn’t right.”

The Gators are one of the premier schools in the entire nation, having won three national championships over the last 30 years. Waiting for the right opportunity is a smart move for any coach making a cross country move to take a new opportunity. Sound familiar? Because it should.

“I had no problem staying at Tulane forever,” Sumrall continued. “I love the place, I love the people. I love my job. I love those I worked with. If I had been the head coach at Tulane for 25 years, I would have been really pleased with my career. I had a blast there. As you go through that process, though, and things present, you do have to look at each situation, and I think being in a place you’re really comfortable and happy allows you to be patient and make the right decision on what you do next.”

That sounds eerily similar to Billy Napier’s approach back in 2021 when the Gators hired him. Even so, that shouldn’t be worrisome to Gators fans. Napier’s tenure didn’t work out, but he went through the proper process to take the job.

Sumrall continues to show that he was the right choice for the Gators.

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