that of Florida hiring of Jon Sumrall has received widespread praise and now has the support of legendary Gators coach Urban Meyer. After the news broke, Meyer posted her seal of approval on social media.
Meyer praised Sumrall for his ability to win everywhere he went. In four seasons, split evenly between Troy and Tulane, Sumrall compiled a career record of 42-11 with two Sun Belt Conference championships. He can add a Conference USA title to his resume this weekend.
“What a special day for Gator Nation,” Meyer said. “Welcome to Head Football Coach Jon Sumrall, one of the top five coaches in winning percentage in college football. I have studied Coach Sumrall. I have spent time with him over the last few months. His teams are tough, they are physical and he creates a competitive environment. If he wins the conference championship this year, it will be the third conference championship in the last four years.”
Meyer knows what it takes to win in Gainesville. He compiled a 65-15 record at Florida, which included two SEC championships and two national championships. Throughout his 17-year coaching career at the collegiate level, Meyer went 187-32 with seven conference championships and three national titles.
Since Meyer left Florida after the 2010 season, the Gators have struggled to regain their status as national championship contenders. Florida hasn’t won more than eight games since 2019, and Sumrall will be the program’s fifth coach since Meyer’s departure.
One of the team’s biggest problems in recent years has been a lack of explosiveness on offense, a staple of Florida football under coaches like Meyer and Steve Spurrier. In his first statement as the Gators’ next head coach, Sumrall said it was “mandatory” for the program to have a high-powered offense.
