New Florida head coach Jon Sumrall needs to win immediately after Indiana won the College Football Playoff national championship.
Coming off a College Football Playoff appearance with Tulane, new Florida head coach Jon Sumrall will not get to have a honeymoon period with his new program.
The Gators fired Billy Napier after failing to win more than eight games during his first four years with the school.
Sumrall needs to win games immediately at UF, and he must build a powerful roster in his first offseason.
ESPN's Paul Finebaum suggested on "The Matt Barrie Show" Tuesday that Sumrall will face extra pressure to win this season after Indiana won the CFP national championship against Miami on Monday night.
Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti made a CFP appearance in his first season before going 16-0 and winning a title in his second season.
Finebaum thinks IU's national championship embarrassed the fans of SEC programs. Fans won't give coaches four to five seasons to turn things around.
Finebaum pointed out Sumrall and new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh as two men that will be given no excuses from their fan bases next season.
"There’s a real crisis going on down here," Finebaum said of the SEC, via On3. "Indiana winning just made it worse. Not only is it an improbable story in college sports or sports history, it’s going to change the dynamics. The paradigm shift is massive.
“If you’re a coach at Auburn or Florida or wherever, you can’t tell your legions of fans ‘Hey listen, I inherited a mess. Give me four of five years.’ You don’t have that anymore because of what has happened this week.”
The Hoosiers’ path to winning the national title was even more embarrassing for the SEC because they beat Alabama (who made the SEC championship) 38-3 in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.
Even if Florida cannot win the national title in 2026, fans are going to want to see serious improvements from Sumrall in Year 1. If Indiana could make the CFP in Cignetti's first season, the Gators should be in the bubble of making the tournament in November.
If not, Sumrall could be on the hot seat before his second season.