Jon Sumrall enthusiastically embraces Florida legend Danny Wuerffel upon arrival in Gainesville
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The Florida Gators‘ fanbase has been… mostly underwhelmed by the school’s hiring of Jon Sumrall as their next football coach. They believe Sumrall is essentially a new version of Billy Napier. Florida’s run of Group of 5 hires makes it easy to see their perspective, but a Gator legend feels good about the move.
On Monday, 1996 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Danny Wuerffel met Sumrall at the airport for his arrival in Gainesville. Once Sumrall saw Wuerffel, he gave him a loud handshake and big hug.
Wuerffel appears to be all-in on Sumrall being the right person for the Florida job. On Sunday afternoon, he tweeted that he had the opportunity to speak with Sumrall and was “as excited to be a Gator as I’ve been in a long time” because of the hire.
Wuerffel’s note on Sumrall’s “understanding” of the need for an elite offensive coordinator should be great news for Gator fans. Florida’s offense lagged behind its defense in the Billy Napier Era. In fact, it never averaged 30 points per game in a single season under Napier. Sumrall’s long-term success is contingent on him finding the right person to get the offense out of neutral and into high gear. If he can land someone to run the offense that fires up Florida’s fanbase, the tune around his own hiring could change quickly.
