New Gators coach Jon Sumrall is hitting the recruiting trail hard, declaring this a "sleeping giant" ready to wake up and contend for championships.
With spring football ending on Saturday, new Florida head coach Jon Sumrall can turn his attention to recruiting between now and the start of training camp.
Despite finishing 4-8 last season and having a coaching change, UF had a solid class for 2026, earning a No. 13 ranking, per On3.
Sumrall left Tulane for the Gators because the SEC program has a better opportunity to recruit elite players capable of winning a national championship. Florida has abundant resources and can sell its strong academics.
During a news conference with reporters on Saturday, Sumrall claimed he wasn't patient with the current rebuild in progress this offseason.
Sumrall plans to hit the recruiting trail hard to bring in players that can contend for the College Football Playoff. He believes the question is not if UF will win, but how fast it can win.
"Like, it’s time we wake this thing up," Sumrall said, via Gator Country. "This is a sleeping giant. I’m telling you right now, it ain’t a matter of if we’re gonna win here. It’s how fast we’re gonna win. It’s coming. This winning thing, it’s coming.
"Now, I’m not patient. I want it to happen every day. But we are going to land some pieces in recruiting. We’re about to do some things that I think and build a roster here that is going to bring it back to where we all want it to be.”
Sumrall is excited about where the program can get back to in the near future.
"This is a special place," Sumrall said. "You can tell when you pull over to the Gator Walk today, and there’s a decent number of people here at 9 in the morning for a noon kick that are ready to see these guys play.
"The turnout and the crowd were great. Very pleased with the support we’ve had here. This fan base is passionate. Championships are the standard and expectation. We’ve got to get it back there. We’ve got to wake this beast up."
The hard part for Sumrall is to actually win the games. Since Urban Meyer, UF coaches have had the resources and history to recruit elite players but have failed to make the team a true competitor.
Sumrall is saying the right things. But the real battle starts in September.