After firing Billy Napier, the Florida Gators have ended their HC search. Highly touted agent Clint Dowdle helped Tulane coach Jon Sumrall secure a reported $44 million deal at Florida, and the new head coach is on his way to the Swamp. Although Sumrall boasts a million-dollar deal, it was the allure of the SEC and competition that led him to make the move.

“I knew in my mind, there’s about 10 or 12 jobs that were going to move the needle for me to pick up my family and go do something different, that I thought could be maybe like a forever type job if you do it right. And that is what excites me, I think. Passionate fan base, all the resourcing you need, the toughest conference, all those things,” he said on Monday.

There’s no denying that Florida is one of the talent hotbeds in college football. Along with competing in the brutal SEC, the program has the necessary resources and facilities to attract top prospects. According to analyst Matt Brown, the Florida Gators boast the tenth-highest recruiting budget in the 2024 season at $2.7 million. (excluding NIL)

It wasn’t just the allure of the Power Four that prompted Sumrall and his family to leave Tulane, but more than that.

“My wife and I made the decision to come back to Tulane, New Orleans, for our family,” he added. “And if we were to leave, it needed to be a top 10 job in all of college football. I wasn’t taking an average P4 job, because this job is better than the average P4 job.”

Before stepping into the shoes of Tulane’s head coach, Jon Sumrall spent three years as a co-defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2014. Over his tenure, he led his program to new heights, steering it to Tulane’s first postseason appearance (since 2002) in the 2013 New Orleans Bowl.

After leaving Tulane after three seasons, he worked at Ole Miss and Kentucky before returning to Tulane. This time in the capacity of a head coach.

In 2024, he compiled a 9-5 record and a bowl appearance, followed by a 10-2 record this season. Now, this Saturday, the roster heads to the ACC Title game against North Texas.

Before heading to Gainesville, Sumrall will coach Tulane to the ACC title game against North Texas. If the Green Wave earns a playoff berth, he is expected to coach for the same.

“I am a winner” Jom Sumrall on the Gators job

The Florida Gators have been struggling for a while now. After Billy Napier recorded a 22-23 record, the worst in the Gators’ history since Tom Lieb’s era, Gainesville is eager to return to its winning ways.

“I respect that the Florida fan base is not patient,” Sumrall said. “I’m not comfortable having a plan to win in eight years. I want to win tomorrow.”

Distinguishing himself from his predecessors, Sumrall stressed that 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,” he added.

For AD Scott Stricklin, it was Sumrall’s dedication to the program that stood him out from the rest. The ability to embrace the Orange and Blue, and the pressure that comes with the high-stakes job.

“We were also looking for something that you can’t fake,” AD Stricklin said. “Someone who embraces the pressure and the expectations because they want to build a program to win championships.”

Although he was not the first pick for the HC job. It was Lane Kiffin, whom the Florida Faithful wanted. However, according to CBS Sports’ John Talty, Stricklin and Lane’s initial interaction did not go well. Florida had the leverage to dictate the terms, but Kiffin wasn’t “Stricklin’s cup of tea. And the feeling was mutual.”