Florida Gators hire Sumrall from Tulane to spark football turnaround

Florida football has hired Tulane’s Jon Sumrall as its next coach, signing him to a six-year deal earning him roughly $7.5 million annually, sources confirmed.

“Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power 5 programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. “Jon’s track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes. … He brings tremendous energy, strong recruiting relationships across our footprint and a philosophy rooted in toughness, discipline and player development. He will cultivate a daily culture of competitiveness.”

He follows a 22-23 stint under Billy Napier, who posted the worst record of any Florida coach of more than three seasons. Napier became the fourth consecutive coach since Urban Meyer that Florida fired in fewer than four full seasons on Oct. 19. In doing so, Florida swallowed a $21.2 million buyout.

Sumrall had been at Tulane for the past two seasons, going a combined 19-7. Prior to that he won 11 games in each of his two seasons at Troy. In the four seasons as head coach, Sumrall, 43, made a conference championship game, winning the Sun Belt in both 2022 and 2023. Prior to his time at Troy, Sumrall was a defensive coach at Ole Miss and Kentucky, most recently serving as the Wildcats’ co-defensive coordinator in 2021.

He is expected to remain with a No. 24 Green Wave squad (10-2) set to face North Texas in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game on Friday, likely with a College Football Playoff bid on the line. If Tulane makes the CFP, he will continue to coach the team, rather than turning his attention to the early signing period at Florida, which opens Wednesday to Friday.

Sumrall’s contract makes him one of the 30 highest-paid coaches in the nation — at the moment. There are 16 FBS schools with openings this offseason, including storied programs like Penn State that haven’t officially filled their vacancies.

Florida’s search lasted 41 days, with the Gators working with TurnkeyZRG, a search firm, to vet an extensive pool of candidates. Sumrall’s name was among those speculated to be in contention, along with former Penn State coach James Franklin, USF’s Alex Golesh, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and a handful of others.

The front-runner, though, was Lane Kiffin. The Ole Miss coach had been linked to Florida since late last season, when Napier’s seat began to warm. This year, Kiffin has danced in college football’s spotlight as the Rebels have rolled to their best season in program history, which will culminate with a College Football Playoff berth and, in all likelihood, a first-round home game. When Ole Miss beat Florida 34-24 two weeks ago, he declined to comment on whether he was considering his opponent’s vacant position. The idolization of Steve Spurrier, dating a UF alum and understanding of Florida recruiting after a stint at FAU rang seemed to work in his favor. Sumrall reportedly even called off a visit to Florida on Nov. 20, as Kiffin rumors billowed.

But as Kiffin’s school-imposed decision deadline of Saturday drew near, it was reported Friday that he was only choosing between leaving for LSU and staying at Ole Miss. He left for LSU on Sunday.

When it became clear that each school at this coaching cycle dance was finding its partner, Florida acted swiftly, moving in on Sumrall in less than 24 hours. Auburn was a potential candidate for the Tulane coach, but backed away Saturday and hired Golesh on Sunday morning.

“Florida has everything necessary to compete at the highest level — the resources, the support, the tradition,” Sumrall said in a statement. Under Napier, Florida’s offense averaged more than 27 points per game, a point of frustration Sumrall will aim to ease promptly. “One of my first priorities will be to assemble an incredible staff, including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn’t optional.”

Sumrall will be the Gators’ second consecutive Group of 5 hire, which has prompted some consternation in Gainesville. Following Florida’s announcement, fans gathered outside Ben Hill Griffin on Sunday to protest Stricklin’s decision.

Yet pleas for change are nothing new. In Stricklin’s nine-year tenure, Florida has had three losing seasons. Under his predecessor, Jeremy Foley, who held the role for 24 years, the Gators had one bowl-ineligible campaign.

Sumrall is Stricklin’s third hire since 2016, a mark most athletic directors don’t survive, especially while taking on ever-growing buyouts to rid themselves of such errors. Not to mention, Florida has never missed a bowl three times in a four-year span. Similar to other openings in this historic coaching cycle, the pressure in Florida will be immediate, no matter the promises UF’s leadership gives Sumrall.

There are factors for Sumrall to succeed. Florida has landed top-10 recruiting classes in four of the last seven years, per 247Sports. It has no shortage of pedigree, too, as the only school to win multiple national championships in football and basketball since the turn of the century. The Gators’ schedule next year also appears easier in comparison to the past two years, in which they faced at least six ranked teams both seasons.

And unlike past hiring cycles, when Florida was hesitant to allocate resources into its athletic programs, the Gators have been competitive in the modern landscape of NIL and revenue sharing, and opened a new $85 million football facility since its last hiring cycle.

To that point, Florida also hired a general manager for its football program, sources confirmed. Former Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell, who was most recently a personnel executive for the Philadelphia Eagles, will guide the Gators into this new era. His hiring marks a distinct shift in Florida’s posture with talent evaluation and recruiting.

“We remain fully committed to utilizing every resource available to identify the right leader to guide Gators football into the future,” Stricklin said at the time of Napier’s firing. “[And] we will continue to provide all of the necessary resources for that coach, his staff and the players to be successful.”

So while Florida finished 1-4 under interim coach Billy Gonzales, and 4-8 this season, the onus will be on Sumrall to help this dormant college football giant rise again rather quickly.

This story was originally published November 30, 2025 at 11:59 AM.