New Florida head coach Jon Sumrall and former Gators head coach Urban Meyer had an interaction recently.
Former Florida head coach Urban Meyer set the standard for excellence at the program.
Meyer won two SEC championships and two national championships during his six seasons in Gainesville.
UF hasn't been the same since Meyer left, briefly taking a break from coaching before joining Ohio State in 2012.
The Gators hired Jon Sumrall in the hopes that he can help the program return to prominence. Sumrall led Tulane to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance in 2025, something UF has yet to achieve.
During an interview with Julianna Reichenbach, Sumrall shared a story of a phone call with Meyer where the former Buckeyes head coach told Sumrall that the two shared similarities.
"We talked a lot about the weight room,” Sumrall said, via a transcription from On3. “The offseason program. He said, ‘Man, I kind of feel like I’m talking to myself like 20 years ago.’ I was like, ‘Can you say that again?’ That was like one of the coolest sideways compliments I’ve ever gotten.
“The ultimate competitor, ridiculously detailed, super intense — he’s speaking at our coaches clinic here in a month and a half. … Man, very, very just blown away with how much he’s been open and willing to maybe giving me some feedback as I’ve been at Florida.”
Sumrall is putting all his energy into turning around a program that went 4-8 last season. He's not sleeping much.
Sumrall also pulled from Meyer's playbook at Florida this offseason, taking away logos from players until they earn them.
"Gotta earn it. Gotta earn the logo," Sumrall said. "We ain't earned it yet. We haven't earned a damn thing. All we've got is our name. ... To wear the Florida Gator logo, to wear the Gators across your helmet, to wear the Gator head, you got to earn that."
When Meyer took over in 2005, he didn't allow players to wear Gators logos on athletic gear during workouts.
It remains to be seen if the players buy into Sumrall's program like they did with Meyer. The Green Wave did last year, making the CFP in the final season of Sumrall's tenure.