We spent what felt like an eternity wondering aloud this offseason what kind of proof of concept Jon Sumrall would put on the field this season. After all when you are a brand new coach, we only have hypotheticals to go off of.
Within those hypotheticals were some real concerns we all had that could sink the 2026 season if they were as bad as their floor indicated they could be. Four games into the season, it seemed like those fears were unfounded.
But as the calendar has turned to October, there are three very real fears from the offseason that all came to a head in a crushing loss to Missouri that has Gator fans rethinking everything.
Three offseason fears that came true in Florida’s loss to Missouri
What if Aaron Philo is just a merchant of the system around him?
We had wondered aloud all offseason if the fact that Aaron Philo was going to win the starting job was a byproduct of him actually being the best QB or if it was a byproduct of him simply knowing the system ahead of time. Jon Sumrall’s own comments seem to confirm this at times.
Four games in, Philo was starting to look more and more like a legit QB, and those fears were quelled.
So, of course, one week after we wrote a positive piece on him about his arm-strength concerns going away, he goes out and posts 5.7 yards-per-attempt with an ADOT of 7.0. His completion percentage was below 60%, he missed a wide open Duke Clark on the opening drive that would have been a TD, and it just never seemed like if a positive play was made, it was because of Philo.
Tramell Jones came in and led a TD drive, though it was in garbage time, so that comes with a grain of salt.
What if the offensive line is as bad as Jon Sumrall says it is?
Don’t take our word for it because Sumrall himself had spent the entire offseason sounding the alarm on the offensive line. Four games in, the Gators had found ways to scheme around whatever limitations they may have, and at times it was a unit showing signs of physicality.
But this was a unit punched in the mouth on Saturday, and they simply had no answer. The warning signs were clear on the first drive, where the unit gave Jadan Baugh zero running room. It never got better and it turned Florida’s offense into Dallas Wilson or bust.
What if Brad White doesn’t evolve his defense?
The knock on defensive coordinator Brad White when he was hired was that his defenses at Kentucky were basic cover three schemes that relied upon an elite defensive line to pressure the QB. It works great against weaker competitors, but is frequently torched by opponents who know what they are doing.
What made Saturday such a meltdown for this unit is that their whole thesis is to not give up explosive plays, and then they give up explosive plays. Even when Florida played eight yards off the line of scrimmage, they were still getting burnt by five yards.
This was a unit where the fears weren’t exactly quelled heading into this game, but this was a downright meltdown.
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