Florida navigates significant roster turnover and a looming quarterback battle as Coach Jon Sumrall shapes a team with exciting offensive potential.
New Florida head coach Jon Sumrall is tasked with turning around a program that went 4-8 in 2025.
In addition to changing the culture, the Gators lost numerous starters from last year's team. UF has a quarterback battle brewing this spring after losing DJ Lagway to Baylor in the transfer portal.
Sumrall took Tulane to the College Football Playoff last season after losing quarterback Darian Mensah to Duke. The head coach is hoping to jumpstart things in Gainesville rather quickly.
During an appearance on the "Josh Pate College Football Show" on Wednesday, Sumrall noted that Florida is working to replace the over dozen starters they lost. He called the team a "work in progress" this spring.
"We lost 14 or 15 returning starters off of last year's team," Sumrall said. "We had, I think, double-digit combine invites. So there are a lot of good players that are going to the NFL... We are very much a work in progress.
"Every day, we're challenging this team. They've been eager, they've done what we've asked them to do.”
Sumrall understands that the talent UF had last season didn't match the expectations that came with having a roster that is set to put so many players into the NFL.
He got the best out of his players with Tulane, and Sumrall's staff plans to do the same thing with the Gators in 2026.
Sumrall is excited about some of the new weapons he has on offense at Florida. He believes the backfield and wide receivers are the two strongest units on the roster. He noted there's still a lot he doesn't know about the new roster.
“Yeah, I think you're probably pretty accurate on both those rooms," Sumrall said. "I'm excited about what we have on the offensive skill positions, in particular. There are a lot of unknowns."
Sumrall has 15 spring practices to begin to learn the identity of his new team. He also has to decide where the Gators will go at quarterback, which will be key to unlocking the potential of the backfield and the receivers.
UF should be much better than the 4-8 team from 2025. How competitive the Gators are in the SEC will be determined by how they develop under Sumrall this spring and in training camp.