Jon Sumrall directly addresses fan concerns, showcasing his winning mentality and self-awareness. He's ready to build a championship team in Gainesville.
The Florida Gators clearly weren’t worried about the optics of hiring another former Sun Belt Group of Five coach despite just firing one. But outside of resume bullet points, Billy Napier and Jon Sumrall couldn’t be more different, and fans got a glimpse of that in his introductory press conference on Monday in Gainesville. There’s only so much one can glean from those types of remarks, but Sumrall showed off the traits that made him a coveted hire across multiple SEC openings with his almost insane desire to win.
Another trait of the former Tulane Green Wave coach is his self-awareness, and Sumrall was clearly aware that he had to sell himself to a fanbase as much as he does to his new recruits and players. He directly addressed the Group of Five stigma that shouldn’t be viewed as a universal weakness, noting how Indiana Hoosiers’ Curt Cignetti immediately found historic success with the program after coming out of James Madison.
“No two people are the same,” Sumrall said. “Judge me for who I am. ... Give me a shot. Believe in me."
Here is the full story from Gators Roundtable writer Kevin McGeever on Sumrall’s first remarks as the next leader and how he shut down some hesitancy from a fanbase that wants to win now.
New Florida Football Coach Jon Sumrall Makes His Case to Gator Nation
With Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer, and Danny Wuerffel in attendance, the Gators' new football coach sought to answer the doubters: "I am a winner. We're gonna win."
While he expects to now be able to recruit the best players in the nation, he reminded Florida fans that he helped multiple low or no-star recruits get to the NFL from his stints at both Troy and Tulane. He spoke of the nuts and bolts of building a team that can contend for championships: an explosive offense complemented by a swarming, feared defense.
Sure, that’s what every coach wants. But he gave some cursory insight into what fans can expect from a team-building perspective and in a coaching staff with his answers. He spoke about roster building, of recruiting and retaining the current players on the roster. He spoke about player leadership and what it takes to be great.
He’s built a winner at every stop he’s been at, with each coaching destination posing its own unique challenges. He began in a rural, Sun Belt environment, and wanted to challenge himself in an urban landscape at a private university. Now his challenge is bringing those altogether to find what works at the SEC level, one he’s quite familiar with as a coach and former player.