College carousel turns, Gators land Sumrall

The Florida Gators wrapped their 2025 season with a 40-21 win over rival Florida State on Saturday in Gainesville. One day later, they named Jon Sumrall as the 31st head football coach in program history. Sumrall will hold an introductory press conference on Monday on campus before heading back to New Orleans to finish his time with Tulane.

The Green Wave plays for an American Athletic Conference Championship on Friday and has a chance at competing in the College Football Playoff with Sumrall finishing what he started with Tulane this season.

“Jon Sumrall is a proven winner and an exceptional leader who has built successful programs at every stop,” University of Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said. “He brings tremendous energy, strong recruiting relationships across our footprint, and a philosophy rooted in toughness, discipline, and player development.

He will cultivate a daily culture of competitiveness, accountability, and winning that drives success on the field and throughout our program. Jon fully understands the expectations at the University of Florida, including our expectations to produce championship teams that feature a dynamic offense, and we’re excited to welcome him and his family to Gator Nation.”

Sumrall’s ascension to the SEC started with his first head coaching job at Troy in 2022. After two years leading the Trojans to a pair of Sun Belt Championships, Sumrall made the move to Tulane and continued his winning ways with the Green Wave, guiding the team to a pair of AAC Championship game appearances, including this season, sitting at 10-2 as they prepare to face North Texas this week.

The former Kentucky linebacker has had multiple stints at his alma mater and served on the same staff as current Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen. “He’s an absolute stud. I’ve got a ton of respect for Jon Sumrall as a man, as a person, as a coach,” said Coen. “He can connect with all walks of life. Recruits, there’s not many better recruiters I’ve been around at all positions, not just on defense, but the entirety of it. And I know his teams play their tails off. That’s something that you’ve just continued to see.”

Speaking of the Jaguars, multiple reports have the Gators hiring former Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager Dave Caldwell to the same position at the college level. Caldwell has spent the past five seasons as a personnel executive with the Philadelphia Eagles after his eight years with the Jags.

In other news around the SEC, Lane Kiffin made his move official, leaving Ole Miss on the cusp of its College Football Playoff run to take over the program at LSU. Auburn University hired former USF head coach Adam Golesh after he led the Bulls to a 9-3 mark this season, including the upset over Florida in Gainesville. And Bolles grad Ryan Silverfield is SEC-bound, leaving Memphis after six seasons to become the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

>>> STREAM ACTION SPORTS JAX 24/7 LIVE <<<

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Read:

Read:

Read:

Click here to download the free Action News Jax apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action Sports Jax 24/7 live.