Florida's Jon Sumrall Claims Son Sent Harsh Text After Loss to South Carolina
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Before Florida played Auburn in Week 3, Florida head coach Jon Sumrall made it clear that any family that cheered for the Tigers to beat the Gators was no relation of his.
Fandom comes with high expectations and harsh criticisms when a team underperforms. Look at Mike Elko's beef with a portion of the Texas A&M faithful.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer reportedly told his players before playing Florida that he wanted Gators fans to have cleared "The Swamp" by the fourth quarter. On Saturday, Sumrall's son was apparently among the Gators crowd who headed to the exits early.
Per Zach Abolverdi of On3, Sumrall told reporters on Monday that his son sent him a brutal text message after the game:
“I don’t know that this is forgivable."
The blowout loss to Missouri in Week 5 was frustrating but forgivable. The Gators laid an egg against the Tigers much like Ole Miss against Florida one week after beating LSU. South Carolina had lost three consecutive games and were going on the road with questions surrounding the future of Beamer with the Gamecocks.
In the grand scheme of making the College Football Playoff, Florida's 38-19 loss to South Carolina isn't forgivable. Given an upcoming schedule that includes No. 7 Texas, No. 1 Georgia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, the Gators should feel fortunate to finish with an 8-4 record.
Can Sumrall redeem himself in the future? Absolutely.
This season should have never been about making the CFP. As Sumrall noted in the summer, the Gators were about $15 million in resources behind the top teams in the SEC. This season was about Sumrall building his foundation.
To be sure, Florida still needs to win games. The problems with the offensive line, secondary, and quarterback position need to show improvement before the offseason. The Gators need something to build on going into the offseason.
But Sumrall was hired to turn the Gators into a program that can sustainably win games. Next season, Florida should have expectations to beat programs like Mizzou and South Carolina.
Sumrall proved he can win games at Florida in a big way when the Gators upset Ole Miss. But he doesn't have the right personnel to make that an every-week occurrence.
Sumrall also has an opportunity to upset a Texas program that is licking its wounds after a loss to Oklahoma. With a win over the Longhorns, all would be forgiven.
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