By Matthew SchmidtShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberJon Sumrall is the new head coach of the Florida Gators, a rather big jump for the 43-year-old who has been searching as Tulane head coach for the last two years and previously served as Troy's head coach.
Now, he is in Gainesville and is aiming to turn around a Florida program that has fallen on very hard times in recent years, but perhaps he can help the Gators return to their former glory.
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It's been nearly two decades since Tim Tebow led Florida to a pair of national championships in 2006 and 2008, establishing himself as one of the best players in college football history.
Since Tebow left following 2009, the Gators have logged just four double-digit win campaigns, with their most recent one coming in 2019.
During his introductory press conference after taking the Florida job, Sumrall revealed that one of the first questions his 12-year-old son asked was when he will get to meet Tebow.
..."When I shared with the kids and Ginny and I shared with the kids what we were about to do next, their responses were very fitting to their personalities," Sumrall told reporters. "Sam’s immediate reaction was, Do you think I’ll get a chance to meet Tim Tebow? He’s read his book. He also was fired up because we’re Jordan brand. He’s got his J’s on right now."
Tebow went on to be selected by the Denver Broncos with the 25th overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft and experienced some brief success with the Broncos, leading them to a playoff win during his second season.
However, the Gainesville legend lasted just three seasons in the NFL, last appearing with the New York Jets back in 2012.
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Funny enough, Sumrall's son was not even born the last time Tebow took an NFL snap, so the fact that he even is interested in meeting Tebow shows just how much of a profound impact the quarterback had in the Swamp.
Sumrall owns a lifetime 42-11 record between Troy and Tulane, but coaching in the SEC is an entirely different ballgame. We'll see if he's up for it.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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