Florida Gators Hire John Sumrall as New Head Coach

The Florida Gators have reportedly chosen John Sumrall, the head coach of the Tulane Green Wave, as their new head football coach. This decision was made public on Sunday.

Sumrall will be joining the Gators on a six-year contract, which is expected to be around $7.5 million per year. Reports indicate that there are additional incentives tied to the Gators potentially reaching the College Football Playoff. Notably, Florida has not made an appearance in the CFP since 2008, a time when Urban Meyer was at the helm, and it also hasn’t taken home a national championship since then.

Sumrall led the Green Wave for the past two seasons, finishing with a record of 9-5 in 2024 and then improving to 10-2 in 2025. He took over the team after Willie Fritz departed for the Houston Cougars following the 2023 season. Under Sumrall’s leadership, Tulane achieved a 10-win season this year, marking the third time in four years that the program has reached this milestone.

Now, he steps into a Florida program looking to restore its former prestige. Earlier, there had been speculation that the school was interested in Lane Kiffin, who seemed to be deciding between remaining at Ole Miss or moving to LSU.

Previously, Florida parted ways with Billy Napier after just seven games this season. He had been the Gators’ head coach since the 2022 season, succeeding Dan Mullen.

This past year, the Gators finished with a disappointing record of 4-8, including a mere 2-6 against SEC teams. Their total of four wins was the lowest since the 2017 season when Jim McElwain and interim coach Randy Shannon were in charge.