New Florida coach Jon Sumrall reshuffles receiver duties, pairing two coaches to boost individual attention and practice reps for a competitive edge.
New Florida head coach Jon Sumrall is making big changes in the offseason as he hopes to right the ship in 2026.
Sumrall proved to be an elite coaching mind in the Group of 6 ranks when he led Tulane to the College Football Playoff in 2025.
Florida will give Sumrall the resources to better compete for a national championship than he would have had with the Green Wave.
Sumrall immediately borrowed from another successful Gators coach, Urban Meyer, by taking away logos from players this offseason until they earn the right to wear them.
The Gators will also have a new look with its coaching staff. Sumrall is splitting the responsibilities of coaching wide receivers between two people.
Trent McKnight will coach the inside receivers coach and work as the passing game coordinator while Marcus Davis coaches the outside receivers. It's a twist that many programs don't try.
McKnight told Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun that the move will give receivers more reps at practice.
"The Air Raid teams, a lot of times they’ve had two receiver coaches, right?" McKnight said. "When you talk about it from individual, we’re able to split individual up. So, if you get 10 minutes, Marcus can be working a top-of-the-route technique for five minutes.
"I can be working releases for five minutes. The one thing I don’t like as a receiver coach is one guy working a drill and 14 guys standing in line."
Those extra reps will add during the week, and could give the Gators an advantage on Saturdays.
Davis pointed out that splitting the receiver room into two groups allows for coaches to dial in the finer details that could be the difference in winning or losing against elite SEC defenses.
"You gotta focus on the small details," Davis said. "You can't take anything for granted. You can't take a play for granted, you can't take a rep for granted, because you never know when that detail is going to show.
"You never know when that play is going to add up, and that could be the difference in winning or losing."
Whoever wins the quarterback battle should like working with receivers that are top-notch in 2026.