![Florida head football coach Jon Sumrall reacts during spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_2688,h_1512/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kr6q8t6p3mhektqajq.jpg "Florida head football coach Jon Sumrall reacts during spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Jon Sumrall has been recruiting at a high level since he arrived in Gainesville, but the best could be yet to come.
The Florida Gators have been hot in pursuit of them. 5-star defensive lineman Jalen Brewster, the consensus No. 1 player in the country, and On3/Rivals' national recruiting director Steve Wiltfong believes that Sumrall and his staff have done the work to make a flip for the Texas Tech commit possible.
"There's some optimism around Gainesville that they can get it done and flip Jalen Brewster"@SWiltfong_ gives the latest intel on Florida Gators effort to FLIP the No. 1 player in the country from Texas Tech 🐊
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) May 8, 2026
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"He's really getting to know this new staff under coach Sumrall and company. They're starting to click," Wiltfong said. "He likes the vibe around the Swamp, around the Florida campus, and he is maintaining communication."
Florida mentioned as a possible flip threat for 5-star DL Jalen Brewster
As Wiltfong mentioned, Texas Tech is still in the driver's seat here. The Red Raiders have Brewster's commitment and the only remaining official visit on the books after the elite recruit from Cedar Hill, Texas, took an official to Indiana a couple of weeks ago.
Speaking of the Cedar Hill connection, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire is a legend at the school and served as head coach for 14 years and won four state championships. The local push is going to be hard there.
"He was there for the Texas Tech spring game. He has his official visit coming down the road. Relationships with the staff, players on the team... Texas Tech makes him comfortable," Wiltfong adds.
But we should know by now to not doubt Sumrall when it comes to his work on the trail. He's going to swing for the fences and Gator fans have to love his confidence and the fact that the staff has done enough for Brewster to begin to have thoughts about playing college football in Gainesville. There's still a long way to go and Sumrall plans to be in the fight for as long as it takes.
"Obviously, you have to have the resources to recruit the No. 1 player in the country. We know the Red Raiders have that, but so do the Florida Gators," Wiltfong concluded.
The next goal for Florida in terms of Brewster's recruitment is to get him on campus for an official visit. Brewster has several open recruiting weekends on his calendar and Sumrall wants to make sure the Gators fill one of those spots.
And once that happens, let the games begin.
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