Jon Sumrall ready for his Swamp debut: ‘I don’t get nervous’
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GAINESVILLE — Jon Sumrall’s first trip to the Swamp in 2004 was as an overachieving Kentucky linebacker, facing a crowd 90,014 and long odds during a 20-3 loss.
The Gators’ first-year coach will exit the south end zone tunnel Saturday night under the lights — and the microscope — while showered by cheers as a new era of Florida football begins against Florida Atlantic.
“I’ll be amped,” he said Monday.
Nerves, he insists, will be a non-issue.
“I don’t get nervous,” he said. “If I see a rattlesnake, I might get nervous. But I don’t get nervous.
“I’m fired up to let our guys go cut it loose and play.”
With the excitement will come considerable outside expectations he’s never experienced — some of Sumrall’s own making.
The 44-year-old has inspired a fan base beaten down by four losing seasons in five years and a cavalcade of coaches since Urban Meyer led the Gators to their last taste of championship success in 2008.
Despite Florida’s fall from the SEC’s elite, Sumrall — the program’s fifth head coach since Meyer stepped down in 2010 — vowed, “We’re going to win,” during his introductory press conference Dec. 1.
The Gators should be able to handle 26.5-point underdog FAU, despite the Owls’ offensive prowess under 35-year-old coach Zach Kittley. In Week 2 on Sept. 12, UF faces Campbell, an FCS school coming off a 2-10 season.
The pressure will then begin to ratchet up Sept. 19 at Auburn, followed by a Sept. 26 visit from 2025 College Football Playoff semifinalist Ole Miss.
Sumrall acknowledged the compulsion for prognosticators, media and fans to consider what would constitute a successful season.
Yet, he is laser-focused on FAU.
“My expectation is to try to go 1-0 this week, and that’s my thought process every week,” he said.
Sumrall also proclaimed during the offseason if the Gators failed to become bowl eligible, “I’ll be on top of the stadium getting ready to do something stupid.”
Having won two conference titles at Troy (2022-23) and one at Tulane (2025) in four years as a head coach, Sumrall isn’t about to put a cap on what the 2026 Gators might accomplish.
“You can limit what you can accomplish when you start to go, this would be good enough,” he said. “You start to put maybe some undue pressure on yourself when you’re like, ‘Well, this is what the benchmark needs to be.’ The word I use a lot: standards. When you have really high standards, then things work out usually for you.
“The expectation at Florida is championships in every sport, not just football. That’s part of what drew me here. We’ve got a lot of work to do to be a championship-caliber program day in, day out. We’re working hard at it.”
Sumrall’s credentials and candor are convincing.
SEC media picked the Gators to finish ninth in the 16-team SEC — a spot of ahead of a proven program at Missouri — despite Florida finishing 4-8 in Billy Napier’s last season, relying on a pair of quarterbacks with one college start and a rebuilt offensive line with only one starter, left guard Knijeah Harris, with more than 10 SEC starts.
Florida’s secondary will have three new starters, including second-year cornerback Ben Hanks III, the son of former SEC champion linebacker Ben Hanks Jr. and one of the young players who stood out to Sumrall from the time he arrived.
“I’m in the weight room this morning, 6 a.m. with (strength coach) Rusty (Whitt), and he’s in there doing mobility when meetings aren’t ’til seven,” Sumrall recalled Monday. “He’s on his own. He’s investing into his craft.
“So excited to see him play more of a prominent role.”
Also taking on a critical role is Bryce Lovett at left tackle. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound senior from Rockledge has shed 43 pounds and established himself as the team’s most consistent offensive lineman after he lost the starting job at right tackle following two games in 2025.
Lovett is just one of seven Week 1 returning starters from last season.
The most important newcomer to Florida’s future will be on the sidelines for just the second time in the Swamp, even if Sumrall sees it differently.
“The day’s not about me. Never will be,” he said. “Coaches’ days to me are Sunday through Friday. We coach the hell out of our players all the time.
“I mean this: Saturday, I want to be about the players.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next
What: FAU (0-0) at UF (0-0)
When: 7:45 p.m., Saturday
Where:Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville
TV: SEC Network
Favorite: UF by 26.5 points
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