A quiet hopefulness reigns among Florida football fans to start Jon Sumrall era

Florida football officially kicks off a new era Saturday with Jon Sumrall’s first game as Gators head coach.

The start of a new season – regardless of the coach – brings an excitement that’s been held in a box throughout the long summer months.

But on the UF campus Saturday, that excitement felt diminished. Call it the humid weather with on and off rain. Call it the late kickoff. Call it the less than marquee opponent in Florida Atlantic. Call it the holiday weekend.

Regardless, Plaza of the Americas – the hotbed of campus – looked eerily quiet three hours before kickoff.

Glenn Denning reflected that vibe. The Gainesville resident remembered when he first began tailgating on Plaza of the Americas when it stood packed with tents.

Sumrall doesn’t deserve the blame for this. In fact, he wants to be optimistic about the coach, but he described an “apathy” among the fans.

“It comes after years of not being successful,” Denning said.

Olivia Emmanuel, a graduate student also tailgating in the Plaza of the Americas, offered a different sentiment. She said she likes Sumrall energy after three years of a student and sitting through Billy Napier’s subdued style.

“He semes like he really cares about his players, his staff. He’s genuine,” Emmanuel said. “That’s where you start and then you build up the energy.”

Denning approved of Sumrall’s coordinator hires in bringing in Buster Faulkner and Brad White, as opposed to Napier, who brought in his “friends.”

Faulkner offers a flexibility that wasn’t seen with Napier when he called plays. Florida expects to be run heavy with Jaden Baugh in the backfield, but Denning thinks Faulkner will alter his perspective if need be.

“He’s not married to one aspect. We’ve had stubborn coordinators on offense,” Denning said. “Faulkner is more like if the run works, we’ll go there. If it’s the pass, we’ll go there. Give us a blend of the two.”

As for expectations, Denning said an 8-4 season would please him. That would be the Gators best mark since Dan Mullin in the 2019 season. Even though it led to a calmer gameday environment, he also signed off on two non Power Four games to begin the season.

“Back when Spurrier coached, we always had cupcakes because the SEC is hard,” Denning said. “This place was packed even when we played those teams. They get a massive check, and we get the in-game experience. It’s a win-win.”

All in all, Denning believes UF and athletic director Scott Stricklin caught a massive break by not hiring Lane Kiffin. The former Ole Miss coach chose to leave the Rebels for LSU instead of Florida. Back in December, that upset many fans – including Denning – who directed his anger at Stricklin.

In the nine months since, sentiments have changed. Sumrall has “won the offseason,” while Kiffin has found himself in one mess after another. The latest is a lawsuit from the SEC against LSU, Kiffin and AD Verge Ausberry, alleging that Kiffin broke conference rules by bringing NFL players onto the Tigers roster.

“We dodged a bullet,” Denning said. “I wasn’t happy at first, but Sumrall has hit the social media circuit and says the right things. I want to be convinced. Urban (Meyer) was a boring hire too.”

Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter and Facebook Noah Ram – Reporter.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: A quiet hopefulness reigns among Florida football fans to start Jon Sumrall era