Jon Sumrall, Florida flips 4-star safety Dylan Purter from LSU

Jon Sumrall was announced as Florida‘s new head coach on Sunday, introduced on Monday, and is still preparing to coach Tulane one final time on Friday against Texas State for the American Atlantic Conference Championship. In the middle of that whirlwind, Sumrall also landed a major recruiting win for the Gators: flipping four-star safety Dylan Purter from LSU.

“I just love Coach Sumrall’s energy and how passionate he is,” Purter told Rivals. “We talked a lot when he was at Tulane. He has always recruited me and we have a good relationship. They’ve been on me since last October. Who he is, how he coaches, and the passion he has were big in my decision.”

As soon as Sumrall was hired, the communication ramped up. The No. 181 prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking heard from Sumrall immediately — and from new safeties coach Bryan Berezowitz shortly after.

“He is a lot like Coach Sumrall. The whole staff at Tulane was. They have energy, they have fire, and I’ve been talking with him a lot too. The connection with the coaches is great.”

Purter has faith in the new leader at the Swamp

Purter trusts Sumrall, but he is still learning about his future home. He has visited Gainesville just once for a Junior Day back in January, but the impression stuck. Now, with Sumrall leading the program, Florida became the clear choice.

“Florida is a great school,” Purter said. “The campus is nice, I liked the area a lot, and the program has a lot of history. Coach Sumrall is going to bring Florida back to the top too.

“He is a great head coach who cares about his players and puts his players in position to win. Florida is about to do big things.”

Purter made his final decision on Monday. It didn’t take long.

“It was tough because of the relationships I had with people at LSU, but there was a coaching change there, and I wasn’t sure what was next. But I was ready to play for Coach Sumrall. I always wanted to play for him. Tulane just wasn’t the right school for me, but Coach Sumrall is who I want to play for. And I love it at Florida.”

The Gators close the week with a new head coach — and a statement flip.

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