Gators head coach Jon Sumrall at Wednesday's SEC Media Days in Tampa. (Photo: Ethan Roy/UAA Communications)
At SEC Media Days, Sumrall Shows Why Florida Believes
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | Football, Scott Carter
TAMPA, Fla. — It didn't matter where you were in the grand ballroom of the Tampa Marriott Water Street hotel on Wednesday; you could feel his intensity. Jon Sumrall often calls it juice.
Regardless of whether you were near the front when a cell phone went off as he was speaking, or in the back of the room where former Alabama coach Nick Saban jotted notes from a chair on the SEC Network set, Sumrall's fire warmed any cool spots.
"It's great to be in Tampa for SEC Media Days," Sumrall announced in his opening. "This is Gator Country. I've had some fun visits down here since my arrival in Gainesville."
And then he gave his tongue a workout for the next half hour, showing a nationwide TV audience and room full of national and regional reporters what Gators fans have come to expect the past six months since Sumrall showed up.
If Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey handed out speaking grades to each coach, Sumrall likely earned an A-plus. Who cares if he tossed in a couple of bad words near the end.
The man is pumped to be the head coach of the Florida Gators and wants everyone to know it.
"Still kind of get chills sometimes when I hear that,'' he said. "I grew up in SEC territory. As a kid growing up, there were three conferences in football in my mind. There was the NFC, AFC and the SEC."
If anyone expected Sumrall to reveal a depth chart or name Aaron Philo his starting quarterback, they were disappointed. That wasn't the purpose of his appearance. Wednesday was about introducing himself — and the program he intends to build — to the rest of college football.
He has a growth mindset, and it's overflowing with possibilities.
In his short time at UF, Sumrall has made the rounds on campus and witnessed the winning standard up close, whether watching the baseball team or stopping by the golf course for the Gator Invitational.
"I love watching our other sports teams have success like they have at the University of Florida,'' he said. "We have to replicate that in football. We have to get it back to where it needs to be."
Sumrall inherits a program that is 23-27 in its last 50 games, well below the standard set by Steve Spurrier in the 1990s and Urban Meyer in the 2000s. The Gators have been on a roller coaster since Meyer departed following the 2010 season, pockets of success mixed with once-unimaginable lows.
Sumrall isn't interested in simply making Florida respectable again. He talks openly about championships, which is why he has leaned on Spurrier and Meyer since trading his Tulane green for Florida's orange and blue.
"I've had the privilege of spending a lot of time since getting to Gainesville with Coach Spurrier, and my wife with his wife, Jerri. They've been unbelievable to us,'' he said. "For me as a head coach to walk the same walk he's walked, to have him as a resource has been great. Urban Meyer has been awesome. I've spent a ton of time with him since taking the job, and I'm very grateful he's made himself available as a resource to me. I'm really excited about coaching this football team this year."
A key factor in Sumrall's view: get the fan base on your side.
When Florida hired Sumrall in December, many fans viewed him as the fallback choice after Lane Kiffin went to LSU. Seven months later, he hasn't coached a game, but he's already changed much of that perception.
He spoke directly to the fans on Wednesday.
"To Gator Nation, part of why I chose Florida, as a head coach, you become in that role because they have to choose you, but you have to choose them back,'' he said. "Part of why I chose Florida was because of the passion of our fan base. Football matters at the University of Florida. Our fan base cares deeply. We have 18 straight sell-outs through maybe not ideal on-the-field results.
"We have a long way to go to catch the record at Florida. So, we have to keep moving forward to keep that going."
Sumrall has rebuilt the roster with preseason camp set to start the first week of August. The Gators added 24 freshmen and 34 transfers, which represents more than half the scholarship players. There is a lot of work ahead to win a championship.
Sumrall has made that clear in the countless interviews, podcast appearances and radio shows he has done over the past few months.
He said that talking season is over. It's time for football.
If the adage that a team is a reflection of its coach rings true for Florida in 2026, this is going to be a much different season than 2025.
Gators fans approve of that message. And that is why Sumrall is here.
"I'm just trying to inject an attitude we're going to attack every day with enthusiasm,'' he said. "I may have some bad moments; I don't have bad days."
He certainly didn't on Wednesday. He brought the juice.
Regardless of whether you were near the front when a cell phone went off as he was speaking, or in the back of the room where former Alabama coach Nick Saban jotted notes from a chair on the SEC Network set, Sumrall's fire warmed any cool spots.
"It's great to be in Tampa for SEC Media Days," Sumrall announced in his opening. "This is Gator Country. I've had some fun visits down here since my arrival in Gainesville."
And then he gave his tongue a workout for the next half hour, showing a nationwide TV audience and room full of national and regional reporters what Gators fans have come to expect the past six months since Sumrall showed up.
If Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey handed out speaking grades to each coach, Sumrall likely earned an A-plus. Who cares if he tossed in a couple of bad words near the end.
The man is pumped to be the head coach of the Florida Gators and wants everyone to know it.
"Still kind of get chills sometimes when I hear that,'' he said. "I grew up in SEC territory. As a kid growing up, there were three conferences in football in my mind. There was the NFC, AFC and the SEC."
If anyone expected Sumrall to reveal a depth chart or name Aaron Philo his starting quarterback, they were disappointed. That wasn't the purpose of his appearance. Wednesday was about introducing himself — and the program he intends to build — to the rest of college football.
He has a growth mindset, and it's overflowing with possibilities.
In his short time at UF, Sumrall has made the rounds on campus and witnessed the winning standard up close, whether watching the baseball team or stopping by the golf course for the Gator Invitational.
"I love watching our other sports teams have success like they have at the University of Florida,'' he said. "We have to replicate that in football. We have to get it back to where it needs to be."
Sumrall inherits a program that is 23-27 in its last 50 games, well below the standard set by Steve Spurrier in the 1990s and Urban Meyer in the 2000s. The Gators have been on a roller coaster since Meyer departed following the 2010 season, pockets of success mixed with once-unimaginable lows.
Sumrall isn't interested in simply making Florida respectable again. He talks openly about championships, which is why he has leaned on Spurrier and Meyer since trading his Tulane green for Florida's orange and blue.
"I've had the privilege of spending a lot of time since getting to Gainesville with Coach Spurrier, and my wife with his wife, Jerri. They've been unbelievable to us,'' he said. "For me as a head coach to walk the same walk he's walked, to have him as a resource has been great. Urban Meyer has been awesome. I've spent a ton of time with him since taking the job, and I'm very grateful he's made himself available as a resource to me. I'm really excited about coaching this football team this year."
A key factor in Sumrall's view: get the fan base on your side.
When Florida hired Sumrall in December, many fans viewed him as the fallback choice after Lane Kiffin went to LSU. Seven months later, he hasn't coached a game, but he's already changed much of that perception.
He spoke directly to the fans on Wednesday.
"To Gator Nation, part of why I chose Florida, as a head coach, you become in that role because they have to choose you, but you have to choose them back,'' he said. "Part of why I chose Florida was because of the passion of our fan base. Football matters at the University of Florida. Our fan base cares deeply. We have 18 straight sell-outs through maybe not ideal on-the-field results.
"We have a long way to go to catch the record at Florida. So, we have to keep moving forward to keep that going."
Sumrall has rebuilt the roster with preseason camp set to start the first week of August. The Gators added 24 freshmen and 34 transfers, which represents more than half the scholarship players. There is a lot of work ahead to win a championship.
Sumrall has made that clear in the countless interviews, podcast appearances and radio shows he has done over the past few months.
He said that talking season is over. It's time for football.
If the adage that a team is a reflection of its coach rings true for Florida in 2026, this is going to be a much different season than 2025.
Gators fans approve of that message. And that is why Sumrall is here.
"I'm just trying to inject an attitude we're going to attack every day with enthusiasm,'' he said. "I may have some bad moments; I don't have bad days."
He certainly didn't on Wednesday. He brought the juice.
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