Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall has explained what's different about coaching in the NIL era.
Jon Sumrall is entering his first season as Florida Gators head coach, and the energy in Gainesville is already different because of him.
Expectations have returned to Florida because of Sumrall's presence, and he is establishing a very different culture in the Swamp.
For example, Sumrall is not allowing his players to wear the Gators logo until they earn it, instead saying "all we've got is our name" for now.
He is also setting a standard at Florida, which some feel is more difficult to achieve in this new NIL era.
However, Sumrall feels it's actually easier.
"I actually think it’s easier, because if a guy wants to act some sort of way about having to do something tough, I’m like, 'Dude, you make money. Shut up, bro. Like, you’re getting paid,'" Sumrall said on SiriusXM Radio.
Sumrall makes a pretty salient point.
With the amount of money being tossed around in college athletics now, there really is no excuse for the players not to work hard.
That being said, the counterpoint is that same of the top athletes might feel more comfortable and, henceforth, more likely to relax if they suddenly have millions of dollars entering their bank account.
It doesn't seem like Sumrall will allow that to occur, though.
Sumrall has four prior years of head-coaching experience, splitting his time between Troy and Tulane. He went 43-12 during that span, most recently leading Tulane to an 11-3 record and a College Football Playoff appearance.
He is taking over a Florida program that went just 4-8 in 2025 and has posted just one winning campaign over the last five seasons, marking one of the worst stretches in school history.
Sumrall has already made a big impact as far as roster building, putting together one of the top transfer portal hauls in the country while also getting busy on the recruiting trail.
Of course, until Sumrall starts winning some games and actually proving that he can turn Florida around, the jury will remain out on the 43-year-old.
Coaching in the SEC is an entirely different ballgame, so we will see if Sumrall is up for the challenge.
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