With Florida legends Spurrier, Meyer on hand, Sumrall vows, ‘We’re going to win’

With Florida legends Spurrier, Meyer on hand, Sumrall vows, ‘We’re going to win’Story by (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Stephen M. Dowell) (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS) (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS) (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)1 / 4

With Florida legends Spurrier, Meyer on hand, Sumrall vows, ‘We’re going to win’

(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Stephen M. Dowell)1 / 4

With Florida legends Spurrier, Meyer on hand, Sumrall vows, ‘We’re going to win’

(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Stephen M. Dowell)2 / 4

With Florida legends Spurrier, Meyer on hand, Sumrall vows, ‘We’re going to win’

(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)3 / 4

With Florida legends Spurrier, Meyer on hand, Sumrall vows, ‘We’re going to win’

(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)4 / 4

With Florida legends Spurrier, Meyer on hand, Sumrall vows, ‘We’re going to win’

(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)Edgar Thompson, Orlando SentinelTue, December 2, 2025 at 2:28 AM UTC·5 min read

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer in the audience and a skeptical fan base tuned in, new Florida Gators football coach Jon Sumrall made a Tim Tebow-like promise he expects to keep.

Sumrall didn’t shy away from the enormous — and at times unrealistic — expectations at Florida when he was introduced Monday at the Heavener Football Center.

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“The standard here is championships,” he said. “That’s why I came. I’m built for this job. I was made for this job. Winners win; I’m a winner; we’re going to win.”

UF hired the 43-year-old away from Tulane to resurrect a once-proud program with three national titles and eight SEC crowns from 1991-2008 under Spurrier and Meyer. A former Kentucky linebacker who overcame marginal athleticism with grit and determination, Sumrall aims to tackle the challenge head-on and not disappoint those who believe he’s the man for the job.

Along with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel, Meyer was among those who spoke with Sumrall and endorsed him to UF athletic director Scott Stricklin as he determined the most important hire of his career.

“Urban called me after that conversation, and said, ‘Dude, that guy’s a winner,'” Stricklin recalled. “We need to go get him signed up.”

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For weeks, Gator Nation had its hearts set on Lane Kiffin who eventually, and contentiously, left Ole Miss in the lurch Sunday for LSU.

Sumrall’s signature on a six-year, $44.7 million deal could be a blessing at a far lower price point than Kiffin. The 50-year-old commanded $13 million annually at LSU and has generated his share of drama during stops at Tennessee, USC, Alabama and Ole Miss.

“I really enjoyed my conversation with him, and I thought they were productive,” Stricklin said of Kiffin. “I respect the decision he made at the end of the day. He’s a fascinating guy.

“I love where we are. I love this position we ended up.”

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Sumrall surely swayed his share of nay-sayers and won the hearts of many Florida faithful Monday, displaying passion, energy and raw emotion football fans can appreciate.

He played to his audience.

“I’m not going to do my Coach Spurrier impersonation, but I’ll give it to you at some point,” Sumrall said. “Coach, you were good, man.”

Spurrier chimed in, “Just win a whole bunch.”

In response, Sumrall laughed, stepped back, clapped his hands and pumped his fist into air, saying, “We’re going to do that.”

The Huntsville, Ala., native grew up admiring the Gators from afar and coming to understand their fans. Winning is the top priority, but style points matter.

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During two seasons at Troy, Sumrall’s teams fielded top-10 defenses. At Tulane, the 2024 Green Wave averaged a healthy 35.4 points but just 28.7 this season for a 10-2 squad set to face North Texas Friday in the AAC title game for a spot in the 12-team CFP.

“I want the scoreboard to light up,” Sumrall said. “The way we’ve played maybe where I’ve been has looked a little different than how I want to play moving forward. Your job everywhere you are is to figure out how you win for the place you’re at.

“Here, I think we can score a lot of points, and that’s what I want to do.”

To that end, Sumrall will pursue a top offensive coordinator as he builds a staff allotted $16.3 million for assistants and support staff.

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A sizable investment is required to have a chance in the nation’s top football conference. Even then, success is a rare commodity.

“The SEC is a different league,” he said. “It’s the closest thing you get to the National Football League. That’s why I wanted to come. I crave that challenge. It invigorates me. It gets me a little bit fired up.

“This is what I’ve wanted to do my entire life. When I was my [12-year-old] son’s age, this is what I dreamed about doing.”

Sumrall won the press conference Monday. Next season he plans to win games, something predecessor Billy Napier failed to do while going 22-23 before UF fired him Oct. 19.

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Stricklin immediately began a wide-reaching search, featuring about a dozen candidates — with Kiffin the initial focal point.

By a twist of time and fate, Sumrall was the first coach Stricklin interviewed via Zoom.

“From our very first conversation, Jon Sumrall stood out,” Stricklin said “His clarity, his urgency, his competitive mindset was unmistakable. He didn’t just tiptoe around expectations, he leaned into them.”

Stricklin ultimately leaned into a bold choice.

A coach from a Group of Five school — with ties to the Sun Belt Conference (at Troy) and coming from a school in Louisiana — was all too familiar albeit not identical to Napier. UF’s former coach was 40-12 at Louisiana, or about the same as Sumrall’s 42-11 mark in four seasons.

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The connections led some members of the fan base to become unhinged during the weekend as news of Sumrall’s pending hire and Kiffin’s exodus to LSU.

Aware of the outside noise and nay-sayers, Sumrall set aside concerns with confidence he will look to instill in his new football team.

“No two people are the same,” he said. “Coach Meyer, you coached G5 football, right? [Indiana’s] Curt Cignetti coached G5. No two people are the same. Judge me for who I am.

“I’m a winner. We’re going to win. Just give me a shot. Believe in me.”

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