Jon Sumrall may have opened his halftime media session at the Florida-Auburn basketball game with a joke, but make no mistake - the last two months in Gainesville have been anything but a laughing matter. Since taking over the Florida Gators football program, Sumrall has been in the thick of a whirlwind offseason filled with roster turnover, coaching staff adjustments, and the early grind of winter workouts.
“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” Sumrall admitted. “Not a whole lot of slow motion, sleepless nights. Good ones and bad ones, but mainly good ones.”
That whirlwind has centered around one clear priority: retention. In today’s college football landscape, where the transfer portal moves faster than a hurry-up offense, keeping your top guys is a win in itself. And for Sumrall, holding onto cornerstone players like Jadan Baugh and Jayden Woods wasn’t just about talent - it was about culture.
“Keeping the Jadan Baughs and the Jayden Woods makes coaching a lot easier,” Sumrall said. “Those guys aren’t just really good football players, but they’re the kind of guys that you want to build the culture around because of how they carry themselves.”
Florida went a perfect five-for-five in keeping its key contributors from last season - Baugh, Woods, Dallas Wilson, Vernell Brown III, and Myles Graham all stayed put. And Sumrall didn’t leave that up to chance. He made personal visits, met with families, and even spent Christmas Eve with the Baughs - a rare move for a coach, especially when the player isn’t even in the portal.
“That was unique,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever done an in-home visit with a current player that’s not in the portal. I’ve never done an in-home visit on Christmas Eve.”
On the flip side, the portal taketh as much as it giveth. Florida brought in 26 new players while losing 29 - a net loss, but not necessarily a step backward. The Gators’ portal class currently ranks 12th nationally and fifth in the SEC, trailing only LSU, Texas A&M, Texas, and Arkansas.
“You never really fully know until you go through spring practice,” Sumrall said. “I think we had some areas of need that we may have fulfilled and I think we have some areas that we need to figure out where we’re at.”
One of those areas is quarterback - the most important position on the field, and one Florida hopes it’s addressed. The Gators brought in Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo, who reunites with offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, his former play-caller.
“I believe in what he’s about because Buster feels comfortable with him and has confidence in what he’s gonna be,” Sumrall said. “And I think Tramell [Jones Jr.] - I’m excited about. I like our quarterback room.
“Is there maybe a known proven starter in that room? No.
Is there guys that I think can help us win football games? Yeah.”
That kind of honesty is refreshing, and it fits with the tone Sumrall has set early on. He’s not selling hype - he’s building something, and he wants his players to earn every inch of it. That starts with the logo.
“We haven’t earned a damn thing,” Sumrall said. “All we’ve got is our name. To wear the Florida Gator logo, to wear the Gators across your helmet in script, or wear the gator head - you’ve got to earn that.”
That message has echoes of Urban Meyer, who famously made his players “earn the Gator” during his early tenure in Gainesville - a tenure that ended with two national titles. It’s a powerful symbol, and Sumrall’s not handing it out lightly.
Before speaking with reporters, Sumrall addressed a packed O’Connell Center during the first half of Florida’s 76-67 loss to Auburn. The moment wasn’t lost on him.
“This is a dream come true for me,” he told the crowd. “We’re going to work extremely hard and tirelessly to bring championship football back to the University of Florida. Just like Coach [Todd] Golden and the basketball team have done here, we’re going to give everything we’ve got every day.
“Nobody is going to be tougher and more blue-collar than us, just like our student section.”
That line - about toughness and blue-collar grit - sent the Rowdy Reptiles into a frenzy. And it wasn’t just a soundbite. It’s the foundation Sumrall and his staff are laying, one early morning workout at a time.
Winter workouts are now underway under new strength and conditioning coach Rusty Whitt, a former Green Beret who brings a military-grade edge to the program. Sumrall made it clear: this isn’t going to be easy. And that’s the point.
“We’re never going to back down to anything we do,” he said. “We’re going to put them through some things that they have not experienced - and they already have seen some of that.
“You want to have some fun? Come sit in the back lot behind our fence at around 5:45 in the morning this Wednesday.”
That’s the new Florida football under Jon Sumrall - gritty, grounded, and ready to earn every stripe. The logo isn’t just a patch on a helmet anymore. It’s a badge of honor, and Sumrall’s making sure his team treats it that way.