Tuesday, September 1, 2026 | Football, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Last winter, Neptune Beach Fletcher High football coach Ciatrick Fason got a call from a former University of Florida teammate. New UF linebackers coach Bam Hardmon was with his new boss, Head Coach Jon Sumrall, and was headed for the Jacksonville airport. They wanted to stop by.
"They didn't have a lot of time, but Coach Sumrall just wanted to say hello," Fason recalled. "It just showed what kind of person he is. I think he's an amazing guy."
The two had actually met before.
Sort of.
On Sept. 25, 2004, the Gators faced Southeastern Conference foe Kentucky at Florida Field. It was hot that afternoon, but UF quarterback Chris Leak was not. Instead, the Gators fed the ball to Fason, who rushed 31 times for a career-high 210 yards and a touchdown – just the fifth running back in program history to eclipse the 200-yard milestone in a game – on the way to a 20-3 victory.
Sumrall played middle linebacker on that UK team. He finished the game with a team-high eight tackles tackles and got his share of Fason face time along the way.
So, it's with a touch of irony that 22 years later, Fason and Sumrall will share the same field together -- sort of -- when the former first-team All-SEC tailback kicks off the much-anticipated Sumrall coaching era as the ceremonial "Mr. Two Bits" as the Gators open the 2026 season Saturday night against Florida Atlantic at Spurrier/Florida Field.
"Over the years, with the all the coaches that have come through here from Urban [Meyer] to now, everyone has talked about what the season is going to look like. We've been optimistic and we've put together a good season here and there," said Fason, who played three seasons for Ron Zook and rushed for a league-high 1,267 yards in '04. "But hearing about how Coach Sumrall is doing his thing, watching him on Twitter and YouTube, and seeing him so hands-on, calling out the linebackers, calling out guys when he thinks they're being soft … I like this guy at the helm. I like his attitude. He's a competitor."
Just like he was back in the day chasing Fason around the Swamp.
Ciatrick Fason (4) rushed for 1,267 yards during in his first-team All-SEC 2004 campaign, the sixth-highest single-season total by a Gator running back in program history.
It's worth noting that Sumrall has a workhorse weapon in Jadan Baugh, who rushed for 1,170 yards last season, the likes of which -- a case can be made -- the Gators have not had since Fason (aka "C4") lined up in the backfield. In UF's season finale against Florida State last Nov. 29, Baugh rumbled for 266 yards and a pair of scores, posting just the fifth 200-yard rushing game in program history and the first since … yeah, that's right.
"I fell in love with that guy," Fason said. "Run that Baugh!"
The Gators will, but first Fason, who played two years in the NFL and completed his college degree on-line, will do the "Two Bits" thing for the expected sellout crowd, taking a break from his duties at Fletcher. He's been head coach there for six seasons, while teaching classes in leadership and history.
As a UF player, he was both a leader and made history.
Now, he hopes to usher in some of the latter.
"I think we got the right guy," Fason said. "I'm excited. Everybody is."
