Jon Sumrall sees clear ‘Power Two’ in college football
By David Wasson
Published:
Florida coach Jon Sumrall has yet to coach a game in Gainesville, yet he believes the haves and have-nots within college football are even more pronounced than the divide between Power Four and Group of Six-level programs.
“There is a clear delineation,” Sumrall said Wednesday during Day 3 of SEC Media Days in Tampa.
“I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I think there’s clearly the ‘Power Two.’ I’m not knocking any league.”
Although Florida is Sumrall’s first go-round inside what he perceives is a Power Two Southeastern Conference, he certainly has experience with the other side of the coin – coaching for two years each at Troy and Tulane before being tapped to replace Billy Napier in Gainesville.
Sumrall went on to say that the Big 12 and the ACC are behind the SEC and Big Ten, with the American Conference “right there” as well.
Sumrall is one of three former American Conference coaches to debut in the SEC this season, as former USF coach Alex Golesh is now at Auburn and former Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield is now at Oklahoma. Also, former North Texas coach Eric Morris takes over the helm at Oklahoma State.
Sumrall’s Gators begin the 2026 season at home Sept. 5 against FAU (7:45 pm ET, SEC Network) and kicks off SEC play at Auburn on Sept. 19 (7 pm ET, ESPN).
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. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
