![Florida Head Coach Jon Sumrall greats fans as he heads to the locker room during Gator Walk before the Orange and Blue game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 11, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_121,w_2591,h_1457/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kqz7tyfdwekygde2gs.jpg "Florida Head Coach Jon Sumrall greats fans as he heads to the locker room during Gator Walk before the Orange and Blue game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 11, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Jon Sumrall got yet another win for the Florida Gators on Tuesday with the commitment of four-star Elijah Hutcheson. The offensive tackle made his commitment to the Gators, but it didn't come without a little fake-out to begin.
Hutcheson was picking between Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Vanderbilt, ultimately landing with the Gators, but he might have made an enemy of Hokies head coach James Franklin. Before Hutcheson announced Florida as his future school, the four-star offensive tackle faked everyone out by putting on the Virginia Tech hat, saying he was going to the Hokies.
4-star Top100 OT Elijah Hutcheson commits to Florida pic.twitter.com/9uYiBMck4F
— David Soderquist (@Hightop_Dave) May 5, 2026
The look of confusion on his family's face had everyone questioning if this was the decision he had actually made. Then quickly, Hutcheson pulled the Virginia Tech hat off and put on the Florida hat, revealing his Gators shirt, and celebrating with his family around him.
This was a classic fake out by a recruit, but probably didn't make Franklin too happy in the end.
Jon Sumrall has been on a recruiting hot streak Florida fans have been waiting for
When Sumrall was hired as the head coach at Florida, there was a lot of discourse over the decision in Gainesville, with many fans questioning the decision based on other candidates available. However, ever since taking over in Gainesville, Sumrall has done nothing but prove he is the right man for the job.
Sumrall has not made excuses for his team, even calling out his own players in press conferences for not working hard enough. The Florida coach also knows that this team is not where it needs to be right now, but has faith he will get it there in time for the 2026 season.
Florida is also building for the future, as Sumrall is on a huge recruiting hot streak stretching from April to May. Hutcheson marked the 11th recruit for Sumrall in the Class of 2026, continuing to move up the team recruiting rankings in the nation.
While some really questioned the decision to hire Sumrall, he is doing something that Florida fans have been begging for, and that is recruiting big talent to Gainesville.
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