Surprising preseason ranking sets high expectations for Jon Sumrall and Florida

Today marks exactly three months since Florida fired Billy Napier, a decision that officially closed the book on one of the darkest stretches in the history of Gators football.

The move came just one day after barely sneaking by Mississippi State, a team nowhere near the Gators in terms of talent or resources. It marked the last conference win of the season, as the Gators would go on to lose all four of their remaining SEC games under interim coach Billy Gonzales. Gonzales ended up leading Florida to a home victory over arch rival Florida State, but a 4-8 season wasn't what Florida fans had been hoping for.

The program lacked belief.

Now, surprisingly, that belief may be returning faster than expected.

On3 Releases Rankings

On3 released its way-too-early preseason Top 25 earlier today, and to the shock of many, the Gators made the cut, appearing at No. 24. For a team coming off a four-win season with a new head coach, simply being ranked is notable. But more importantly, it reflects early national confidence in Jon Sumrall's ability to jumpstart Florida's rebuild.

Sumrall takes over a program that was undeniably broken at the end of the Napier era. Discipline issues, inconsistent quarterback play, and several mid-game collapses defined struggles for the Gators in 2025. As a result, Sumrall completely overhauled the previous staff, organized the quarterback room how he needs it, and brought an eagerness to succeed that has pushed a lot of Florida fans behind him.

Sumrall, however, also reminds many fans of the very man they just ran out of town: Billy Napier. That's why this season will be critical in defining Sumrall's tenure with the Gators. Any mistake will be compared to Napier, and fans could grow restless if his struggles to adapt to the SEC end up costing games.

And although the absurdity of preseason polls predicting teams that aren't even fully set yet is absolutely present, being ranked No. 24 signals more than optimism—it sets expectations. It changes the way Sumrall will be perceived; a 6-6 record won't cut it.

In just a few weeks, Florida fans have raised standards from "show improvement" to "deliver results," and that could spell trouble for a coach who hasn't ever held a head coaching job in a power conference.

Regardless, the ball is in Sumrall's court, as they say. He knows what the expectations are, and he knows that Florida fans can be unforgiving; he needs to show why he was hired, and why he isn't Billy Napier 2.0.