Jon Sumrall calls it 'incredible honor' to coach at Florida, 'one of the premier programs' in CFB

Kentucky’s prodigal son is on his way to Gainesville as Florida has announced Jon Sumrall as its next head football coach — a longtime dream replacement for Mark Stoops now a nightmare for Big Blue Nation. The pen has hit paper and the ink is dry, the former Wildcat linebacker and assistant coach who emerged as the fastest-rising coach in college football is now leading an SEC rival whose job will be to beat his alma mater inside Kroger Field next fall.

Fun, right?

Now, Sumrall is making his first public comments since making the high-profile switch from Tulane to Florida, calling his new program among the best the sport has to offer.

“The University of Florida is one of the premier programs in college football, and it’s an incredible honor to serve as the head football coach,” Sumrall said in a statement. “I believe in building a team rooted in toughness, accountability and a relentless competitive spirit. Florida has everything necessary to compete at the highest level—the resources, the support, the tradition and the passion of Gator Nation. My family and I are excited to get to work.

“One of my first priorities will be to assemble an incredible staff, including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn’t optional – it’s mandatory!”

Those were some of the minor gripes Kentucky fans had about the possibility of replacing Stoops with Sumrall, pushing for more offense and an entertaining brand of football. Sounds like he’s embracing those critiques by bringing in a complementary mind to match his tough and intense approach on the defensive side of the ball to use with all of that skill position talent Florida brings in year after year.

Must be nice.

Meanwhile, his new athletics director — a former staffer for Mitch Barnhart, mind you — is downright giddy about the Sumrall addition.

“Jon Sumrall is a proven winner and an exceptional leader who has built successful programs at every stop,” UF AD Scott Stricklin said. “He brings tremendous energy, strong recruiting relationships across our footprint, and a philosophy rooted in toughness, discipline and player development. He will cultivate a daily culture of competitiveness, accountability and winning that drives success on the field and throughout our program. Jon fully understands the expectations at the University of Florida, including our expectations to produce championship teams that feature a dynamic offense, and we’re excited to welcome him and his family to Gator Nation.

“Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has done it. He joins rare company—coaches like Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Willie Fritz—who’ve delivered immediate success at multiple stops. Jon’s track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes.”

You ready to pour some more salt in that wound? Steve Spurrier has something to say about the hire, too! And, unsurprisingly, he’s ready to back the former Wildcat — whether Gator fans are uneasy about the move or excited for his potential.

“I’m 100 percent supportive of the hiring of Coach Sumrall,” the Head Ball Coach said. “He is an excellent coach and has the track record to prove it. He is a young coach on the way up and certainly has a winning record and produced winning teams. He is coaching in his fourth straight league championship game Friday night.

“He’s a proven winner and he will bring a little more fire and emotion to our team.”

Meanwhile, Kentucky football has the momentum of a skydiver free-falling to Earth’s surface without a parachute — going in the wrong direction in a hurry with no obvious sign of survival.