Florida basketball coach Todd Golden shares thoughts on new UF football coach Jon Sumrall
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Count Florida basketball coach Todd Golden as a fan of how Florida football coach Jon Sumrall has approached his first two months on the job.
Appearing on a podcast with former Gator great and SEC Network analyst Chris Doering, Golden said he talked with Sumrall a few times before he was hired to become Florida Gators head football coach.
“I just love everything about him so far,” Golden said. “Just his mentality and just the way he’s approached becoming Florida‘s head coach. A bunch of people were talking about (Lane) Kiffin, he’s like, I don’t care, I’m just going to come in here and win, you know whether they wanted him first or not, I’m just going to find a way to come in here and win ballgames and figure out the rest.”
Golden, who used the transfer portal effectively to build UF’s national title team in 2025 by signing Walter Clayton Jr. (Iona), Will Richard (Belmont) and Alijah Martin (Florida Atlantic), said he’s been impressed with Sumrall’s portal approach.
“He’s been really aggressive and really intentional with their adds in the portal,” Golden said. “They put together a very good roster and most importantly, I think he deserves a lot of credit for the retention piece, you know getting (Jadan) Baugh back, getting (Jayden) Woods, Myles Graham, VB3 (Vernell Brown III), Dallas Wilson, like we got the guys back we needed to get back, the guys that are difference makers and playmakers.”
Golden also is supportive of the culture that Sumrall is trying to create. Florida has transformed its roster by adding 22 players from the portal so far after losing 32 players to the portal, including former starting quarterback DJ Lagway.
“He’s coming in, being competitive, wants to light a fire under everybody,” Golden said. “And his whole mentality of hey you want to either be here and compete to try to be great or you can move on, I think that’s refreshing for a lot of people who are following the Florida football program.”
No. 20 Florida basketball (12-5, 3-1 SEC) takes a three-game win streak into its showdown at No. 8 Vanderbilt on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN).
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball coach Todd Golden discusses Jon Sumrall’s impact on UF football
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