New Florida coach Jon Sumrall talks about hiring philosophy: ‘I don’t hire my friends’
By David Wasson
Published:
It didn’t take long for new Florida Gators coach Jon Sumrall to start defining some of his coaching and management philosophy in Gainesville, as the former Tulane coach detailed his stance on hiring friends in the coaching business during Monday’s introductory news conference.
“Well, I don’t hire my friends. Honestly when I took my first head coaching job, I lost some friends,” Sumrall said. “They were like ‘I thought we were buddies’, I said ‘We are, doesn’t mean you’re the right fit here.’”
Sumrall, 43, was hired Sunday by Florida to replace Billy Napier, who went 22-23 overall and 12-16 in 3-plus years in Gainesville. Napier was fired Oct. 19 following a 23-21 home victory against Mississippi State.
Sumrall’s tenure – both at Tulane and Troy – as a college coach has been superb. Sumrall led the Trojans from 2022-23, going 23-4 overall and 14-2 in the Sun Belt Conference en route to consecutive league crowns. Sumrall then moved onto Tulane in 2024 and coached the Green Wave to a 19-7 mark that included a 10-2 record in 2025 and a second straight berth in the American Conference title game.
Sumrall’s contract at Florida is a reported 6-year, $44.7 million deal ($7.45 million annually) with a minimum $16.3 million budgeted annually for assistant coaches and support staff.
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.
