Paul Finebaum changed his tune on the Florida Gators, but they still need to do one key thing
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The 2026 Florida Gators are building a lot of momentum under head coach Jon Sumrall, and it’s impacting many.
Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall came to Gainesville with a massive undertaking on his plate. His job was to restore the Gators to their former glory that we’ve seen under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.
So far, Sumrall has lived up to the hype. The Gators have 22 recruits committed in the 2027 recruiting class, as well as returning the best players from last year’s roster, including running back Jadan Baugh.
Paul Finebaum is buying into the Florida Gators
While many believe the Gators are moving full steam ahead in the right direction, the 2026 season is still one that is up in the air. Paul Finebaum has been one that hasn’t fully bought into Sumrall’s first team, but those thoughts shifted at the SEC meetings recently in Destin, Florida.
I believe it was Florida. I felt okay about them, because I like Sumrall, and I like some of the components that he has brought to the table, but there seemed to be some real momentum now. The only problem with Florida is when you, when you and this is an old story here, when you look at their schedule, how can they win enough games to to be at the bottom fringe of the playoff, and they need to do it early, probably Auburn, I think it’s the third week of the year, is probably a game that they’re going to have to win if they’re going to get in contention. So, just in talking to and seeing some raw, and especially talking to Scott Stricklin, it was just how quickly and how different that infrastructure feels and seems, as opposed to what it was under four years of Billy Napier.
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The differences in both Sumrall and Napier’s regimes have been widely talked about, and it’s a huge reason why recruiting has been on fire. The Gators have the No. 5 recruiting class with 22 commitments, and the majority have talked about the energy being excellent.
The key isn’t going to be changing the minds of people in June, but rather doing so on the field. That first big test, as Finebaum mentions, is that Week 3 game against the Auburn Tigers. If Sumrall can find a way to win that game, the entire nation will be believers in the Gators.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Paul Finebaum changed his tune on the Florida Gators, but they still need to do one key thing
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