Jon Sumrall is officially turning the page to his next chapter in Gainesville, and he's bringing some familiar firepower with him.
With Tulane’s College Football Playoff run coming to an end at the hands of Ole Miss, Sumrall is now fully locked in as Florida’s new head coach. And as he starts assembling his first staff in The Swamp, he’s dipping into his own coaching tree-and Gator history-for a key hire.
Enter Bam Hardmon.
The former Florida linebacker is returning to his alma mater to coach outside linebackers, reuniting with Sumrall after working alongside him at Tulane the past two seasons in the same role. It’s a move that blends continuity with legacy-a coach who knows Sumrall’s system inside and out, and a former Gator who understands what it means to wear that orange and blue.
Hardmon’s roots in Gainesville run deep. He suited up for the Gators from 1999 to 2002, earning second-team All-SEC honors as a senior. After five years playing professionally, he shifted gears into coaching and started grinding from the ground up-first as a graduate assistant at Illinois, then carving out a niche as a special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Charleston Southern.
From there, he made stops at Idaho and Troy, where he spent nearly a decade shaping defensive fronts. That Troy connection proved pivotal-it's where his path first crossed with Sumrall, and the two built a strong working relationship that carried over to Tulane.
Now, that bond continues at Florida.
For Sumrall, bringing Hardmon on board isn’t just about loyalty-it’s about trust, alignment, and shared vision. Hardmon knows the demands of SEC football, and he knows what it takes to develop players at a high level. He’s walked the walk in Gainesville, and now he’s back to help lead the next generation of Gator defenders.
This hire also signals something bigger: Sumrall is building a staff that blends familiarity with Florida’s culture and a modern defensive mindset. Hardmon checks both boxes. He’s a Gator through and through, but he’s also a coach who’s earned his stripes across multiple levels of college football.
As Florida looks to re-establish itself as a force in the SEC, moves like this lay the foundation. Hardmon brings energy, experience, and a deep understanding of what it means to compete at the highest level. And for a defense that’s looking to get nastier on the edges, his presence could be a difference-maker.
Sumrall’s vision for Florida is starting to take shape-and it’s starting with people who know how to win, know how to teach, and know what it means to be a Gator.