Jon Sumrall was introduced at Florida, so why is he still coaching at Tulane?
Jon Sumrall’s introduction at Florida on Monday took the appearance of a wedding.
There were the eight black GMCs surrounding the Heavener Football Center cul-de-sac, drivers readied, a Succession scene — quite literally — playing out in Gainesville. Florida’s entire communication staff followed, on queue, donning navy suits, dotted with identical “F” pins. Information about the service was passed out on cardstock.
Then came the procession, fit for the crowning of Florida football’s new savior. And behind 21 seats barred off for family and friends, Florida’s youngest stars gathered, weighing whether they’ll return with Sumrall. DJ Lagway, Myles Graham, Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson (via scooter) each watched as their new coach compared one of his children to a rattlesnake and discussed beaches.
At the core, though, of Sumrall’s vows was a distinct vigor that’d become inscrutable under Florida’s previous coach, Billy Napier.
“We measure ourselves by one thing, and that’s winning,” he decried. Across over half an hour of talking, the 43-year-old coach was energetic, another distinct difference from that of the past administration. He even eased any of the Gator fanbase concerns that populated with hiring a defensive-minded coach after years of offensive woes.
“On offense, when I think of Florida football, I think of aggressive, I think of explosive, I think about mixing tempos, using it to your advantage, and dictating the game to the opponent. I think about stretching the field and threatening every blade of grass. It all starts with the quarterback and the pieces around him,” Sumrall said, looking toward the back of the room. “We’ve got some already. We’ve got to keep them.”
Yet, at this matrimony, the groom felt like he only had one foot in.
Sumrall arrived in Gainesville around 1 p.m. Monday. He was gone within hours to continue prepping with No. 24 Tulane for Saturday’s conference championship, an opportunity one of Florida’s other candidates, Lane Kiffin, won’t be afforded after departing Ole Miss.
The issue in Florida allowing him to return to the Bayou is simply one of timing. The Early Signing Period will open Wednesday through Friday, and Florida currently has the No. 13 class in the nation, per 247Sports. Inking those commits will prove vital to Sumrall’s first product at Florida.
“I believe the lifeblood of your program is recruiting good high school players,” Sumrall said. “If there were no players, there would be no coaches.”
If Tulane (10-2) beats North Texas in the AAC Championship this week, it’ll more than likely receive a College Football Playoff bid. The first round of the playoff is Dec. 19 and 20, meaning Sumrall wouldn’t divert the entirety of his attention to the SEC power he now leads until the holidays. The circumstances are unprecedented in scope — no program the size of Florida’s has performed this tightrope act — though many understand the struggle.
While the NCAA improved its timeline by making the transfer portal have only one window in January, instead of one in the winter and spring, the sport remains light years away from a sensible yearly schedule. If successful coaches opt to leave for greener — or, this year, swampier — pastures, they’re met with a choice that’s rarely theirs.
Florida is an outlier by allowing Sumrall to coach Tulane’s season to completion. The time he’s spending there are crucial moments eating momma’s jumbo that disappear. As the transfer portal grows, recruiting and re-recruiting are an in-season practice. Those like Sumrall are especially pressed, given a 15-day window opens five days after his arrival for players at his new school to transfer out.
“I don’t disagree with the people that say our schedule is a mess,” Stricklin said. “You have to somehow figure out a way to take player acquisition away from the season.”
In the case of Kiffin, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter barred him from continuing to coach the Rebels through the playoff, not that LSU would’ve been inclined to let him, anyway. Carter didn’t want him to poach Ole Miss’ roster, and concern percolated about Kiffin’s ability to balance, and, more distinctly, isolate, the two positions.
It isn’t an obscure feeling.
“I’m, right now, wearing two hats,” Sumrall said. “It’s been a bit dizzying at times.”
No immediate solution exists, bar the NCAA opting to overhaul the high school and transfer recruiting periods to lay foundation for a defined offseason.
Florida, rightfully, won’t care, so long as this marriage works.
The Gators have leaned into Sumrall’s track record of building programs rapidly, lifting Troy and Tulane to four consecutive conference championships. The fanbase ate up his intensity-laden opening remarks. The program staples — Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer and Danny Wuerffel were all in the crowd — glowed about the Gators’ new direction. “He’s a big step forward,” Meyer said.
It’s just hard to walk down the aisle on one leg.