Even the most frustrated Gator fans are gradually making peace with Jon Sumrall

When news broke that Lane Kiffin had cut off communications with Florida, and it quickly became evident that Jon Sumrall would be the next coach of the Gators, there was a ton of backlash.

We here at Hail Florida Hail certainly said our peace, and there are still things that we reserve the right to be skeptical about, namely Sumrall's tendency to tighten up in the 2nd half and the fact that he has so many one-score wins (both tenets of Billy Napier's time at Louisiana).

But Sumrall is doing everything he can to prove he has what it takes to succeed in Gainesville, and he's starting to win over even the most skeptical of Florida fans.

Jon Sumrall hires two proven Power Four coordinators

Now that Sumrall has hired Brad White from Kentucky as his defensive coordinator and Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech as his offensive coordinator, he is already off to a significantly better start than the Billy Napier Era.

As we have chronicled, one of the core problems of the previous regime is that it relied on a coaching staff with next to zero Power Four experience.

The coordinator hires are turning Gator fans into believers that this could actually work. Dave Soderquist of Hightop Sports probably best summed it up when talking about Florida fans who are coming around on Sumrall with a famous quip from legendary coach Mike Leach:

"That was last ****ing week, that wasn't this week." 

He's not alone in the sentiment and countless comments are along the lines of "Yeah, that's also me."

It has also helped ease Florida fan frustrations that Danny Wuerffel has gone on a podcast tour this week and revealed his own involvement in the process to land Sumrall. Wuerffel has detailed his role in the search and has made the case that while Sumrall isn't Lane Kiffin, Sumrall was the most sought-after Plan B option in the SEC.

Does it give Scott Stricklin a free pass for whiffing on Kiffin?

No, not at all, because the narrative they have tried to spin makes it seem like they still believed they had a shot at Kiffin, while every other report in America has made it look like Florida got left behind from the start.

And Sumrall is the exact "safe" type of hire that Stricklin has defaulted to during his time in Gainesville.

But since Kiffin isn't walking through that door, one can only analyze the coach who is in Gainesville.

And given the coordinators coming to town, combined with a favorable schedule in 2026, there is a pathway for Florida to go 10-2 in 2026 if Sumrall nails the roster retention/building process in January.