Jon Sumrall's desire to have the smartest guys in the room will lead Florida to success

Jon Sumrall doesn't seem to be concerned with being the smartest guy in the room, and that might be his secret to the success he's had as a head coach thus far and the success he hopes to have with the Florida Gators.

Sumrall was one of four coaches making their debut Week 1 in a power conference after spending the past few seasons in the American Conference. He was the only one of the four with a background on defense and, ironically, his team was the one that put up the most impressive numbers on offense.

Despite all the titles that coaches with defensive backgrounds like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and, to a lesser extent, Urban Meyer have won over the past 25 years, most programs are looking for the next great offensive wizard. Defensive coaches have a reputation of being inflexible with a prehistoric way of thinking — only score enough points to win.

But Sumrall actually likes offense. He had very efficient ones at Troy and Tulane under Joe Craddock. He brought Craddock with him to Gainesville, but added another offensive mind in Buster Faulkner to run the show. Many people believed Craddock is already good enough to run an offense in the SEC, but Sumrall is flexible, and he believes that Faulkner is on the verge of being a head coach and Craddock could probably learn a few more tricks from him before he leaves.

Sumrall is perfectly fine with not being the smartest guy in the room

This is Sumrall's secret sauce. He doesn't want to be the smartest in the room, but he wants the smartest guys to be in the room. What separates him from someone like Alex Golesh is that Golesh believes that no one should know more than him. It's a personality trait that stunts the growth of many coaches (like the one fighting for his job in Tallahassee). But Sumrall checks that part of his ego at the door. He likes winning so much that it's ok if Faulkner might overshadow him this season. 

The most successful coaches find that balance. Meyer has a massive ego and is generally an unlikable person. But that guy kept an amazing coaching staff and in between those doors, he knew that he had to listen to them from time to time because they knew what they were talking about, and they shared the same goal of winning football games.

As Brandon Marcello pointed out in his story, Sumrall loved his time at Troy and Tulane, but he didn't bring all of it with him to Gainesville. That had to be hard because the Green Wave were a playoff team last year and no one would've blinked if he tried to run much of it back as possible, but Sumrall realized that a new challenge requires a new perspective and new voices. 

He brought in both coordinators from Tulane, but Craddock and Greg Gasparato  are working under Faulkner and Brad White respectively. New voices and more smart guys in the room. Sumrall doesn't need to know everything or make anyone believe that he does. He's not concerned about being perceived as brilliant. He just wants to win.

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