New coach brings physical play to UF’s spring game
A first-time Power 4 coach’s job disproportionately consists of crowd work, especially when booster money directly determines the talent their team will put forth amid a transition of power. So, Jon Sumrall, being anything but the coach before him, as he thoughtfully mentions at every opportunity, played the hits during Florida’s spring game Saturday in more ways than one.
His battling quarterbacks, Tramell Jones Jr. and Aaron Philo, didn’t leave the field until nearly halfway through the third quarter. Last year, the quarterback everyone came to see, DJ Lagway, didn’t throw. Every starter except running back Jadan Baugh remained out there with Philo and Jones this time. And maybe the most boggling: not a single one hesitated to drop a shoulder.
The ordeal was quite refreshing, partially because, if nothing else, this was exactly what Sumrall said would happen.
“We’re going to celebrate playing American tackle football,” he mused earlier this week, though almost every coach, including former coach Billy Napier, provides a similar preview without veracity. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, most schools have shifted from playing a spring game that even poses as a competition. Ole Miss held a question-and-answer forum in Lane Kiffin’s final year. Before Napier’s final season, the biggest story line of Florida’s showcase was a backup quarterback contest.
This spiral toward promotional campaigns and away from a true practice setting did away with the spring game of yore. “We hit each other more,” said Chase Gourant, who was playing flag football Saturday morning on UF’s campus before the contest. “The spring game wasn’t worth watching the last few years.”
But Sumrall was clear, “I want [the fans] to feel that our guys enjoy playing the game, and that they’re going to play with an edge.”
He achieved that with a revamped format that featured offense and defense teams. The players felt more engaged. Sumrall also urged his potential starters that this would be a chance to “prove it,” minus Baugh, who, offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner mused, was on a “pitch count.” It seemed like more of a mercy play with a reformatted defense still getting its feet under it. Each of Florida’s starring receivers, however, remained out there. Vernell Brown III and Eric Singleton both hauled in touchdowns. Micah Mays Jr., a West Palm Beach native settling in after transferring from Wake Forest, was the brightest spot, grabbing four balls for 122 yards and two scores.
No number from the game means a thing. That players were actually tackling one another and competing doesn’t hurt. “Some people had their feelings about it,” safety DJ Johnson said. “I liked it.”
As with most spring games, the quarterback comparison drew outsized attention. Both threw a pair of touchdowns, and Philo tossed a couple of picks. Neither seemed to pull ahead in this measuring opportunity, and Sumrall doesn’t want the lights to get too bright for them.
“Sometimes we can make too much about the quarterback deal,” he said. He doesn’t think Florida is where it needs to be yet. “I completely understand the interest. I’m interested in it.”
Certain sequences made sure the afternoon didn’t take itself too seriously: The student president, not a program legend, carrying out Florida’s traditional pregame “Two-Bits” chant. The loudest roar of the day coming when the punter dotted a shot into the 1-yard line. That the game ended in a 45-45 tie after less than two hours of play because the defense earned three points with a missed field goal.
Sumrall just squeezed what he needed out of it — an induction of hope. His team got a sort-of practice, and his fan base clamored for a semi-competent offense and a man who was true to his word, unlike some who detailed how they would adjust but became known for their stone-age product. (Of note: Sumrall also said Florida would deploy four receivers at times.)
“We’ve made a step,” defensive coordinator Brad White said. “There’s confidence in the players and the guys in the system, in the coaches in terms of how they’re coaching it.”
Those investing seem to feel the same way — Sumrall’s ultimate prize. After the game, he schoomzed with the best of them, making the rounds. And channeling his inner (UConn basketball coach) Dan Hurley, he provided an unprompted promise to each.
“It ain’t a matter of if we’re going to win here, it’s how fast we’re going to win,” he said. “It’s coming.”
