![Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks during a press conference after the first day of Florida Spring football practice at Heavener Football Center in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_2486,h_1398/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kth288yf51463wswz2.jpg "Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks during a press conference after the first day of Florida Spring football practice at Heavener Football Center in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
One of the very real and lasting damages from the Billy Napier Era for Gator fans is the two losses Florida had against Miami. Florida was smoked by Miami inside The Swamp, and this past season kept it close for a while before Napier’s Ask Madden offense gave out, and the Hurricanes pulled away. The problem is that, unlike other schools Florida lost to during the Napier Era, the Gators probably won’t see Miami again on the field for a long time unless it is the playoffs.
It’s frustrating because while Jon Sumrall still has to showcase his product on the field, the momentum he has built this offseason without coaching a single game in Gainesville has Florida fans wishing for another crack at the Hurricanes down the road.
Florida stays neck and neck with Miami in recruiting
The Gators have had three more prospects commit to Florida this weekend. In the 247 Composite rankings, Florida now has the third-ranked class in the country, one spot ahead of Miami. The Rivals Team Rankings have Miami as No. 2 with Florida at No. 5.
16 of Florida’s 22 commits are blue-chip prospects (four or five stars), which is the highest amount of blue-chip commits in the country.
It’s not to say that Florida would beat Miami in 2026 if the two were to cross paths, but Sumrall gives credence that if given time, he could go toe-to-toe with Mario Cristobal and friends. Keep in mind, Cristobal was on a seat that was potentially even hotter than Napier’s heading into that fateful opener in 2024, and this is the same guy who didn’t take a knee against Georgia Tech.
But Miami has been able to build in the trenches and has been able to land dynamic playmakers like Malachi Toney to make it so that even a QB like Carson Beck can be within one drive away from a national title.
For those paying attention, Sumrall has focused heavily on the trenches in recruiting and has a cache of playmakers to work with.
Given the modern realities of scheduling, it is going to be next to impossible to ever get a rematch against Miami unless it’s the postseason. With the SEC moving to a nine-game schedule and Florida already having an annual game locked in with FSU, Florida’s other two games are almost always going to be earmarked for two home games against an FCS opponent and a G6 opponent.
So until then, Florida fans will be forced to smile and nod as the stains from the snakeoil salesman from 2024 and 2025 aren’t going to wash away, even if Sumrall builds the Gators into what appears to be possible with this recruiting class.
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