When Jon Sumrall took the reins at Florida, he didn’t sugarcoat the situation. The Gators were coming off a 4-8 season that left the program bruised, battered, and searching for identity. So Sumrall, never one to shy away from a message, made his players wear it-literally.
At offseason workouts, Florida players showed up in gear stripped of all branding. No Gator head.
No script. No colors that scream "Swamp."
Just blank fabric and early morning alarms. The message?
Simple. “We haven’t earned a damn thing,” Sumrall said during a halftime media session at the Auburn-Florida basketball game.
“To wear the Florida Gator logo, to wear ‘Gators’ across your helmet in script, or to wear the Gator head, man you gotta earn that.”
It’s a bold move in an era where branding is everything and players are more empowered than ever. But Sumrall’s approach is rooted in old-school accountability-earn the right to represent the program, don’t just inherit it.
Naturally, social media had thoughts. Some fans called it over-the-top.
Others joked about the equipment staff scrambling to outfit an entire roster in blank orange tees. A few questioned the optics-“I guess he already earned it,” one user wrote, pointing out the irony of a new coach laying down the law before his first game.
Still, not everyone was critical. Some backed the move, seeing it as a culture reset that Florida sorely needed.
But here’s the thing: the logo stunt is just a symbol. The real work is happening behind the scenes, where Sumrall and his staff are trying to reconstruct a roster that saw 29 players hit the transfer portal.
That kind of exodus would cripple most programs. But Florida pushed back hard, bringing in 26 new players and finishing with a top-15 transfer class, ranked 12th nationally by On3.
Even more important? Sumrall managed to keep five cornerstone players in Gainesville-running back Jaden Baugh, linebacker Myles Graham, edge rusher Jayden Woods, and wide receivers Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III.
That’s no small feat. Baugh, in particular, was a priority.
Sumrall made sure the Gators pulled out all the stops, hosting Baugh and his entire family-yes, including his mom’s dog-on Christmas Eve. When Woods entered the portal, Sumrall hopped a flight to Kansas City to meet with him and his family face-to-face.
That kind of personal touch matters in today’s college football landscape. And it’s not just Sumrall doing the heavy lifting. General manager Dave Caldwell has been instrumental in managing the logistics, freeing up the head coach to focus on evaluating and connecting with top targets.
As for the quarterback room, the battle is shaping up between Aaron Philo-who followed offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech-and Tramell Jones Jr., a Jacksonville native who backed up DJ Lagway last season. It’s an open competition, and with a new regime in town, every rep is up for grabs.
Sumrall’s first season kicks off in September, and by then, the blank practice gear may be replaced with logos and script. But the point’s been made.
This isn’t about what’s on the jersey. It’s about what you do to earn it.
The Gators are starting from scratch, not just in branding but in identity. And if Sumrall has his way, the days of entitlement are over in Gainesville.