Florida’s spring practice clips ignite social media as one detail jumps out

Tuesday opened up spring practice for Florida, and it was the first chance for the 2026 Gators to showcase themselves to the public as Jon Sumrall looks to engineer a turnaround from 2025’s disastrous 4-8 season. Media members who were in attendance noted they were given a 40-minute window to view practice, which is a major increase from what they were given under Billy Napier.

And from the clips that were posted from Florida’s first practice, there appears to be a brand new energy in Gainesville that has been missing for quite some time.

Jon Sumrall brings the energy on day one of Florida’s spring practice

Not that this is a shock to anyone, but we saw more energy from Sumrall on day one of Gator practice than we ever got during the Billy Napier Era. Multiple clips highlighted him bouncing around and looking engaged, rather than being a stoic CEO with his arms folded in the corner.

Energy alone doesn’t make one a great coach, but this was one of our primary critiques of the previous regime. Too often, it felt like Florida was led by a man who was better fit to be a golf coach than a football coach. There is a reason why Sumrall stated last week that Florida felt “too comfortable” in the weight room when he first arrived in town. The Gators had moments and highlights over the past four years where Florida assistant coaches brought the passion, but Napier himself seemed so scared to step on toes that he never bothered to move his own. 

Sumrall admitted at his press conference that today was just day one and Florida needs to keep it up all spring:

"Everybody gets excited for day one. I've never seen anybody not excited about the first day of practice. The trick is great football teams get excited about it every day. And so we got to sustain that type of energy and enthusiasm about what we're doing."

But based on what we have seen all offseason, this doesn’t feel like it was a show Sumrall put on for the cameras either. He has given far too many interviews and presentations at this point for his demeanor on day one of spring practice to feel fake. 

Whether his energy and passion result in wins is yet to be seen; Will Muschamp had plenty of fire and brimstone and couldn’t win. But Gator fans will gladly take someone who at least looks like they want to win, rather than someone who wanted their flowers the first instant something went right.