We are officially one month into the 2026 season, and things are going well for the Gators. Jon Sumrall has turned around a once-sunken ship, and there seem to be brighter days ahead for Florida. The ship sank because the previous staff saw the iceberg ahead and still chose to ram headfirst into it.
So we thought we would take a peek at where all of Florida’s coaches from 2025 wound up and how their 2026 season is going.
Florida’s 2025 coaches off to mixed starts at new homes in 2026
The Man in the Black Polo: James Madison - Head coach
So if you haven’t caught on to our new running gag here at Hail Florida Hail, we are refusing to call the previous coach by his official name for fear we could Beetlejuice him back into existence. But he is off to a 4-0 start at James Madison, so at least he has that going for him.
Billy Gonzales: Texas - Football analyst
To his credit, Gonzales really did try to right the ship in Gainesville, but it was already sunk. At his new home, the Longhorns are 4-0 and are No. 1 in the country, but their offense hasn’t exactly been the most explosive.
Ron Roberts: Arkansas - Defensive coordinator
Something we always pointed out with Roberts is that for as much as he was billed as a “grizzled veteran,” he didn’t actually have a ton of Power Four experience, and it showed at times in Gainesville. Arkansas fans are ready to burn the program down, and the fact that Arkansas is 102nd in scoring defense doesn’t help.
Russ Callaway: Tulane - Offensive coordinator
No one was more emblematic of the circus in Gainesville than Callaway. It’s not because of him personally; it’s because the head coach made him the offensive coordinator, but everyone knew that was just a paper title. Tulane is currently 127th in scoring offense.
Jabbar Juluke: Texas - Associate head coach (offense) / running backs coach
The running backs at Florida were never considered a problem, and most fans would have been okay with keeping Juluke. But instead, he went to Texas and tried his best to bring Jadan Baugh with him. As mentioned above, Texas is 4-0, but Texas is 117th in yards per carry this year.
Robert Bala: James Madison - Defensive coordinator
He was the inside linebacker coach while at Florida, and most would agree the linebackers for Florida were solid enough. James Madison is currently 11th in points against per game, so something is going right for a former assistant.
Vinnie Sunseri: Georgia Tech - Defensive backs coach
Georgia Tech as a whole is a mess this season, but their secondary has been decent enough. Georgia Tech is currently 52nd in passing yards allowed per game.
Rob Sale: James Madison - Offensive line coach
The failed experiment of employing two offensive line coaches has created a ton of catch-up for Florida this year. Interestingly enough, the offensive line for James Madison has been solid enough and is 36th in sacks allowed.
Gerald Chatman: Florida - Assistant head coach / defensive line coach
The lone assistant retained by Sumrall; the irony is that the defensive line for the Gators has been a point of conversation this year. Florida is 16th in sacks, but there is this feeling that is a bit of a mirage when thinking about play-to-play.
Mike Peterson: Florida - Director of alumni relations
So technically Sumrall retained two assistants, but as far as we can tell Peterson is not an on the field coach and he is currently working behind the scenes in Gainesville.
Jonathan Decoster: New England Patriots - Offensive line assistant
The other half of the failed two-offensive-line-coach experiment, Decoster is now back in the NFL, and the results with the Patriots are mixed. According to PFF, which is to be taken with a grain of salt, the Patriots are top five in pass blocking but are bottom 10 in run blocking.
Joe Houston: LSU - Special teams coordinator
LSU is currently middle of the pack in punt returns and kickoff returns. They are towards the bottom in yards per punt, and they have missed two field goals.
Ryan O’Hara: Henderson State - Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach
Everyone has their reasons for why they wind up where they wind up, but this is a situation straight out of Last Chance U. The man who was tasked with developing DJ Lagway, and who received play calling duties once the head coach was fired, is now at an NAIA school in Arkansas. To their credit, Henderson State is 4-0 this year.
Deron Wilson: Arkansas - Co-defensive coordinator / secondary coach
Hey, remember how we said earlier the defense for Arkansas is terrible? The pass defense has actually been okay, but that could also be in part because teams are running the ball more once they get a huge lead.
Tyler Miles: No verified 2026 position found
A lot has been made about the state of the weight room in Gainesville and the lack of competition that was going on inside of it. From what we could tell, Miles is not with a college program in 2026.
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