The loudest voices on social media may criticize the resumé of the Florida Gators' new coaching hire, but say this about Jon Sumrall: He has already aced his homework.

On Sunday, as he was announced as UF's new football coach, Sumrall immediately addressed a regular complaint about his predecessor.

"One of my first priorities will be to assemble an incredible staff, including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn't optional – it's mandatory!"

Once upon a time, Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer were racking up Southeastern Conference and national championships in Gainesville. At minimum, Florida was a perennial top 10 team and a fixture in the national football conversation.

Then came 15 years in college football's wilderness that bottomed out this season with the firing of Billy Napier, the first Florida coach in almost 80 years with a career losing record. As the losses piled up, Gator Nation and media pointed out Napier's unwillingness to hire a coach to call offensive plays.

That recent memory and the fact that Sumrall is another Group of Five coach like Napier so far has done little to satisfy some Gators fans.

Sumrall, 43, has been a success story in his four years as a head coach, reaching conference championship games each season with Troy (2022-23) and Tulane (2024-25).

If the Green Wave beat North Texas on Dec. 5 — and Sumrall will be their coach — Tulane would earn a place in the College Football Playoffs with powerhouses Ohio State, Indiana, and Georgia.

The Gators haven't played in a major bowl game since 2020, in a national championship game since 2008.

The four coaches since 2011 have produced results that have steadily gotten worse, including this year's 4-8 record. 

All of which means that, unless Florida hired everyone's hot coaching commodity Lane Kiffin, there are Gators fans with little faith in the selection process.

"Billy Napier 2.0," said @SwampOclock.

"Fire Scott Stricklin," @gatorsszn said of the UF athletic director, a regular target.

After several weeks of pursuing Kiffin, who took the LSU job on Sunday and will not coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoffs, Stricklin and Florida turned their focus to the Tulane coach.

"Jon Sumrall is a proven winner and an exceptional leader who has built successful programs at every stop," Stricklin said. "He brings tremendous energy, strong recruiting relationships across our footprint, and a philosophy rooted in toughness, discipline and player development. He will cultivate a daily culture of competitiveness, accountability and winning that drives success on the field and throughout our program. Jon fully understands the expectations at the University of Florida, including our expectations to produce championship teams that feature a dynamic offense, and we're excited to welcome him and his family to Gator Nation.

"Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has done it," Stricklin said. "He joins rare company—coaches like Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Willie Fritz—who've delivered immediate success at multiple stops. Jon's track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes."

Meanwhile in Oxford, Miss.