Florida announces kickoff time for Jon Sumrall’s first Orange & Blue Game
By David Wasson
Published:
The Jon Sumrall Era of Florida football officially gets underway April 11, as the Gators will play their annual spring game that day at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field.
Dubbed “Spring Game 2k26” in a social media post, Florida will kick off its annual Orange & Blue intrasquad scrimmage at noon ET to culminate the spring’s 15-workout season that will get underway March 3.
Florida said that additional details about the game, including streaming and broadcast information and fan initiatives, will be announced at a later date.
Sumrall takes over the Gators after Billy Napier’s tenure ended in the middle of the 2025 season. Napier was fired by Florida on Oct. 19, the day after his team edged Mississippi State 23-21 to complete a tenure that witnessed a 22-23 overall record and 12-16 mark in SEC play. Florida posted only one winning season in Napier’s term, an 8-5 mark in 2024.
Sumrall, 43, was hired by Florida on Nov. 30 – but remained with Tulane through the Green Wave’s play in the College Football Playoff. Sumrall coached at Tulane in 2024 and 2025 for a 20-8 overall record, and also led Troy to a 23-4 record and back-to-back Sun Belt titles from 2022-23.
Florida’s 2026 regular season begins Sept. 5 vs. Florida Atlantic.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
