Nick Saban's support for Jon Sumrall comes with encouragement and a challenge

Nick Saban clearly likes Jon Sumrall, and he's spoken highly of the first-year Florida Gators coach on many occasions, which is nice to hear.

Saban also made it clear on Wednesday that he's invested in Sumrall's success at Florida now that he lives in the Sunshine State. That's a nice ally to have, but it also means that the expectations of college football's greatest coach of the 21st century are very high.

"I'm a Florida resident now and down there amongst the Gators. I want you to know I'm kind of a semi-Gator, so if you don't get your [expletive] together, I'm gonna be in the middle of it," Saban said with a mixture of humor and seriousness."

Nothing like a little additional pressure on top of the expectations from a fanbase that's hungry to win.

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Jon Sumrall receives his assignment from Nick Saban

After these past few years of whatever Billy Napier was doing, Sumrall has had plenty to fix and change. So far, the results have been very promising and Sumrall's success as a head coach is something that fans can certainly point to as a cause for great optimism. But, as Saban said, the successful proof of concept that Sumrall's has enjoyed up to this point will be put to the test each and every weekend in the SEC.

And Saban believes that Sumrall has the right makeup to navigate these challenges.

"I think Jon has a great attitude. I think he's had a great attitude in terms of how he's taken over every opportunity that he's gotten as a head coach, and he's done a phenomenal job," Saban said on the SEC Network. "When he says 'you look at what they did right and what they did wrong and how we've got to fix it," I think that's a realistic way to look at taking a new job."

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Sumrall knows he wouldn't be in Gainesville if everything was going well before, so changes have to be made to produce better results. But the coach didn't want to use an axe to kill a mosquito either. 

Summer saw a roster with a lot of promise that has underachieved, and he believes that placing an emphasis on strength training, toughness, attention to detail and a sense of urgency can help the Gators gain some of the edges they lost in the previous regime.

Saban is a fan of other coaches. He's always kept his ear to the ground and for a few years Sumrall was coaching three hours west of Tuscaloosa, so believe that Saban kept tabs on him. 

The endorsement should be one that fans can take as more than the seven-time national championship coach simply being polite. He knows what Sumrall is capable of and soon the rest of the nation will find out. 

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