![New UF head football coach Jon Sumrall and his family lands at University Air Center in Gainesville, FL on Monday, December 1, 2025. The coach will replace the recently fired Billy Napier. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_123,w_2680,h_1507/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kfzzcmgt1qn25c69qd.jpg "New UF head football coach Jon Sumrall and his family lands at University Air Center in Gainesville, FL on Monday, December 1, 2025. The coach will replace the recently fired Billy Napier. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
In the two months since Jon Sumrall has been the head coach of the Florida Gators, fans have gotten to understand his personality more and more. Despite not being the top pick in the eyes of most fans as Florida’s coaching search progressed, his demeanor and attitude have won over plenty of skeptics.
Sumrall knows that Florida is a huge step up compared to Tulane, and a new behind-the-scenes look showcases just what he said to his own family before he was formally introduced as the head coach of the Gators.
If you’re scared, don’t get off the plane
The YouTube series This is The Swamp just dropped a new 30-minute episode that highlighted Sumrall’s flight from New Orleans to Gainesville for his introductory press conference. On the plane, he’s shown with his family going over how to properly do the Gator Chomp when they get off the plane.
It’s at this point he drops a line to his kids that summarizes his first two months in Gainesville:
“If you’re scared, don’t get off the plane.”
Sumrall has stated at length that he didn’t come to Florida to be average, and he wouldn’t have taken the job if he didn’t believe he had what it takes to handle the pressure cooker that comes with being the head coach of the Gators. At his introductory press conference, he stated, “Winners win, I’m a winner, we’re gonna win.”
Obviously, once the games start for real, Sumrall is going to need to prove he can, in fact, be a winner at this level. Despite the fact that he is 43-12 as a D1 head coach between his stops at Troy and Tulane, much of his analytical profile fits that of the guy he was brought into town to replace (much notably his tendency to be in close games no matter what).
There are also similarities between “If you’re scared, don’t get off the plane” and “Scared money don’t make money,” but Sumrall's delivery and tone feel 1000% more convincing than the ASMR of the previous regime.
Florida’s first time getting on a plane in 2026 will be when it travels to Auburn in week three. We’ll see if Sumrall opts to repeat this message to Gators in September.