CBS Sports' ranking of Jon Sumrall is better than it appears on the surface

Jon Sumrall has built a reputation in his first few months that has people talking and Florida Gator fans believing. The college football media has also bought into what Sumrall is selling, and it shows in this year's annual CBS Sports rankings of Power 4 coaches. 

Sumrall lands at 36th, putting him firmly in the middle of the pack, but there's a little nuance with that ranking that shows a level of faith in what the Gators coach is trying to do in Gainesville. 

CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli writes the following about Sumrall:

"Sumrall is the other Power Four debutante with a playoff berth to his name. Sumrall has only four years of head coaching experience to his name, but the man has a lot of wins in those four seasons. Seriously, his worst year as a head coach was 9-5 at Tulane in 2024, and that was with a 7-1 conference record."

Jon Sumrall ranks 36th among Power 4 coaches according to CBS Sports

Sumrall's ranking may make you feel some kind of way, but he is the highest ranked coach that leveled up from the G5 to the Power 4, well ahead of his fellow American-to-SEC peers Ryan Silverfield (56th) and Alex Golesh (45th). Of the four Power 4 coaches in the state of Florida, Sumrall is second highest ranked, behind Miami's Mario Cristobal (7th) and ahead of FSU's Mike Norvell (42nd) and UCF's Scott Frost (62nd). There's a certain faith that the college football media seems to have in Sumrall, and it's trickled down to a good portion of the fanbase. 

You can call it the "new car smell" or whatever you want, but the way Sumrall has promoted the program and promoted his vision resonates with people. Sumrall has also avoided some of the missteps that have hurt his new peers. Golesh has said things about his former employer, South Florida, that come off as completely ungrateful. But Sumrall speaks highly of his experiences at Troy and Tulane and articulates how they have prepared him to coach the Gators.

Jon Sumrall and Florida have many big tests still ahead

The rankings and the preseason adoration are all nice, but the SEC schedule is a bear and the coaches that can't handle it will get eaten alive. The stretch of seven conference games (at Auburn, Ole Miss, at Missouri, South Carolina, at Texas, vs Georgia, Oklahoma) in seven weeks is beyond brutal. And the Georgia game will be in Atlanta, the first Florida-Georgia game in the Peach State since 1995 when the Gators hung 52 on the Bulldogs between the hedges. Kirby Smart was on the Bulldogs roster in 1995, so you know it's going to be very personal for him.

But Sumrall is speaking the right language. He takes recruiting very seriously and is looking to stockpile a roster with blue-chip talent that can compete for the playoffs. Even if you didn't like his thoughts on playoff expansion, you appreciate the honesty, and he explains where he's coming from. The expectations are always high in Gainesville and that's what. Sumrall says he wants. Now he just has to deliver. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow