Florida coaching search update: ‘Clear favorite’ emerges, per ESPN insider
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The Florida Gators have been looking for their next head football coach for over a month, but it looks like the power brokers down in Gainesville are finally narrowing in on the guy they believe has what it takes to lead them back to relevance on the gridiron.
According to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall has emerged as the “clear favorite” for Florida AD Scott Stricklin and company.
This comes just one day after it was reported that the Gators had moved on from their pursuit of current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, the guy many believed was their top choice following the firing of Billy Napier.
Sumrall has been a very popular name on the coaching carousel this season. He’s been linked to other SEC openings in recent weeks, including both Auburn and LSU. Prediction markets such as Kalshi previously tabbed Sumrall as the favorite to land the Florida job on Friday.
A former standout linebacker at Kentucky, Sumrall has been coaching for 20 years. His first head coaching gig was with Troy, where he led the Trojans to back-to-back 11-win seasons and Sun Belt titles in 2022-2023 before taking the head job at Tulane in 2024.
He guided the Green Wave to a 9-5 record in his first season at the helm, and currently has the team sitting at 9-2 with a chance to make the AAC Championship game with a win against Charlotte in their final game of the season.
Thamel is also reporting that Sumrall won’t make a final decision on his future until after his team’s regular-season finale.
