Florida UAA makes hiring of Jon Sumrall official

The University of Florida Athletic Association hired Jon Sumrall as the 31st head coach of the Gators on Sunday.

Shortly after reports came in on Sumrall agreeing to terms with Florida, the UAA and athletic director Scott Stricklin made things official.

"Jon Sumrall is a proven winner and an exceptional leader who has built successful programs at every stop," 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."

Stricklin added that Sumrall understands the lofty expectations everyone involved with the program has, specifically noting a dynamic offense — a major criticism of previous head coach Billy Napier.

"One of my first priorities will be to assemble an incredible staff," said Sumrall, "including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn't optional – it's mandatory!"

While Sumrall shares some similarities with Napier as non-Power head coach with four years of experience leading a program, rapid turnarounds are a stark contrast between the two. He is the only coach in FBS history to make four conference championships in his first four years, split between two schools.

"Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has done it," Stricklin said. "He joins rare company—coaches like Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Willie Fritz—who've delivered immediate success at multiple stops. Jon's track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes."

Sumrall is considered a strong recruiter and culture-builder with elite talent identification capabilities. He's also able to develop players into championship contenders. Tulane returned just four starters this year and has gone 10-2 en route to a top-25 ranking.

"The University of Florida is one of the premier programs in college football, and it's an incredible honor to serve as the head football coach," Sumrall said. "I believe in building a team rooted in toughness, accountability and a relentless competitive spirit. Florida has everything necessary to compete at the highest level—the resources, the support, the tradition and the passion of Gator Nation."

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football UAA, Scott Stricklin hire Jon Sumrall as head coach