Geoff Collins didn’t wait long to deliver his verdict on Florida’s new coaching setup.
After watching the Gators put up 66 points in their season opener against FAU, the former Florida defensive coordinator had plenty to say about head coach Jon Sumrall and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. And he didn’t hold back.
“I want to talk about the best offensive coordinator you’ve never heard of yet, Buster Faulkner,” Collins said during an episode of the Geoff Collins show. “One of the top play-callers in the country… [he] is a hell of a football coach.”
Florida’s offense backed up the praise with a massive night. The Gators’ 66 points were the most they’ve scored to open a season since 1994, and the 624 total yards told the same story: 343 through the air and 281 on the ground.
Collins said he’d seen enough to know Faulkner was the real deal.
“I’ve had a Game One in the Swamp, and it was nowhere near the performance that Buster Faulkner put on display last night,” Collins said.
What stood out most to Collins was the way Faulkner keeps defenses guessing. The structure may look familiar, but the answers keep changing.
“The motions, the shifts are all complementary, and he will package those all together,” Collins said. “So if you see a counter, you’re going to see a play action off of it.
If you see a counter and a play action, you’re going to see a screen off of it. Counter read, power read, jet sweep, layered deep routes - all of those things exist, and as a defensive coordinator, it is an absolute pain to deal with.”
Collins also had high praise for Sumrall, and his admiration started before kickoff. On a separate live appearance on The Next Round, he described watching a Florida practice during the offseason and coming away impressed by the way Sumrall ran it.
“I went to a Florida Gators practice, and I was impressed. I was impressed with that dude and how he ran a college football practice,” Collins said.
“The way he runs a practice was awesome. Disciplined, detailed, there was not a lot of wasted time; it was physical.”
The part that stuck with him most came at the end of the session.
“At the end, normally there is a ra-ra speech, something sexy for social media during preseason camp,” Collins said. “Jon Sumrall, at the end of it, ripped them for about three minutes and then just walked off the field. It was the greatest thing I have ever seen.”
And Collins saw the same no-nonsense approach again on Saturday.
“Well, then you watch the game and his presser; he didn't candy-coat anything,” he said. “He kept it 100 with them and was real.
‘Here is my assessment. I'm not going to candy-coat it for social media.
I’m not going to try to put some cool spin. I’m just going to tell it like it is.’
I thought it was a breath of fresh air just listening to him talk about his team, being honest, being direct, not being mean-spirited.”
Sumrall has already built a large following since arriving in December, and Collins’ latest comments only add to that momentum. But the move that may matter most, at least based on what Florida showed in the opener, is the decision to put Faulkner in charge of the offense.
If Saturday was any indication, the Gators’ coaching staff may already be answering a lot of questions the right way.
In Other News...
Florida Is Chasing A Jacksonville Star Who Could Reopen A Crucial Pipeline
Recruiting the states best prospects has always mattered in Gainesville, and Jon Sumrall is making sure Florida stays in the conversation with Jacksonville edge rusher Asher Ghioto. The 2028 standout is already regarded as the top edge rusher in the country by Rivals, On3 and the 247Sports Composite, which makes him the kind of in-state target that can help shape how the Gators are viewed on the trail for years to come. Ghioto has been on campus in Gainesville multiple times, giving Florida a head start in a race that also includes Miami, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.
For Florida, the appeal goes beyond one highly ranked defender. Landing Ghioto would be another sign that the Gators can again turn Jacksonville into a reliable pipeline, something every program in the SEC would love to control. Recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong said Florida is currently in the best position to land him, which puts the Gators in a promising spot, even as the competition around him remains crowded and the process still has a long way to go. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Turned One Visit Into A Bigger Recruiting Opportunity
Maxwell Hillers trip to Gainesville last weekend was supposed to be about taking in the scene as one of Floridas five-star offensive line commitments, but it also gave the Gators a little extra runway with his family. Hiller brought his younger brother, Colton, along for the visit, and the two watched Florida while Maxwell spent time with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein talking football in a way that sounded more like prep work than a recruiting pitch.
That matters because Colton is a prospect of his own, with Florida and Duke both in the mix for his basketball recruitment. Maxwell came away impressed with the Gators recent offensive play and said he feels good about the program, while Coltons positive experience around the game gives Florida another chance to stay on his radar as the family connection keeps the door open. [Read more 🡒]
Kanye Clark Just Gave Gators Fans A Real Feel For This Defense
Kanye Clarks first game in a Florida uniform offered a quick snapshot of what the Gators believe they can become on defense. The UCLA transfer came away from the season-opening win over Florida Atlantic impressed by how the unit handled a fast-moving offense, and he pointed back to the offseason work in conditioning as a big reason Florida was able to keep its legs under it when the pace picked up. He also made sure to single out DJ Coleman, whose leadership and timely plays helped steady the front when the game started to speed up.
Now comes another test, and Clark already has his attention on Campbells tempo and passing game. For Florida, that means the early-season measuring stick is less about the final score and more about whether the defense can keep showing the same energy, communication and durability it flashed in Week 1. Clarks perspective matters because he is still new to the room, and when a newcomer is already talking this confidently about the standard, it says something about the tone being set around that side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]