Jon Sumrall promised he would have a direct approach in everything he does with the Florida Gators, and so far he's lived up to that promise. Whether it's practice, roster moves, injury reports, press conferences, the good, the bad, or the ugly, Sumrall will let you know what the deal is.
So when the question comes up about the future of the starting quarterback position, I hope the coach continues that process, because there are too many coaches in college football who think they are being slick, but they are really being soft.
Josh Heupel thinks he's being slick. Kyle Whittingham thinks he's being slick. Even Dan Lanning, with all his mean stares, wants to dance around the quarterback question.
Sumrall hasn't really been approached with the QB question yet. That will come next week after the bye. But he doesn't sugarcoat much, as suggested by his postgame comments after the Week 7 road win over Texas.
"We still suck. We just sucked less. And so, we have to figure out how to suck less each week." - Jon Sumrall after Florida's win at Texas pic.twitter.com/nKouPV3I3V
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) October 18, 2026
Some younger fans might not believe this, but there was a time when college football coaches were strong enough to say what the plan was. They would say that this guy is starting and this guy is going to be the backup, and then explain why the change was or was not made. It was a voice of authority — "This is MY team, and this is how we're going to do it!"
These days, those types of coaches barely exist. They will want to claim that the internet has forced them to stay guarded, because God forbid the next team that faces Michigan gets an advantage by knowing which of the two quarterbacks who barely threw for 100 yards between them plans to start the game. But in reality, it's the fear of making a decision that might be scrutinized.
Jon Sumrall can buck the trend of soft coaches in college football
College football coaches love to throw out this claim that they are building young men and helping teach them values and accountability, etc., but if the coach is too chicken to admit who his starting quarterback is, how are those other character-building messages supposed to be received?
Instead, these coaches usually try to pass it back to their players by saying they want to respect their feelings. Since when? You didn't care about his feelings when you benched him in front of 100,000 people and millions watching at home. Life is about tough decisions, and occasionally feelings get hurt. If they are being taught all those other values, then the maturity to deal with disappointment and the resiliency to bounce back shouldn't be an issue.
Sumrall might have to make a tough decision on the quarterback situation, and someone might be disappointed. The hope is that Sumrall's message to his players has been strong enough for them to deal with disappointment and use it as motivation to get their spot back.
Whether he decides to ultimately go with Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones is undetermined, and I'm sure a lot of thought will go into the final decision. But I hope whatever Sumrall decides, he is straight up with everyone about it.
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