GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jon Sumrall has the Florida Gators ranked in the top ten for the first time since 2021 and off to its first 4-0 start since 2019 in his first season leading the program. As he looks to turn Florida back into being a consistent title contender, he himself is gaining national attention.
The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl Inc. on Friday named Sumrall the inaugural Dodd Trophy Coach of the Month. Sumrall was previously the award’s Coach of the Week and was named the SEC Coach of the Week after the Gators’ 52-28 win over then-No. 4 Ole Miss.
The Dodd Trophy, given at the end of the 2026 season, honors the “NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field.”
“Coach Sumrall has already made quite the impression in his first season in Gainesville,” said Chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation Jim Terry. “Florida is a program with a rich history and a bright future if Coach Sumrall continues on his current trajectory.”
Sumrall’s tenure has gone off to a hot start with blowout wins over FAU and Campbell, which gave the Gators its first 2-0 start since 2021, and back-to-back wins to open SEC play. Its 44-39 win at Auburn marked Florida’s first road win and road SEC win since 2024 and its first win at Auburn since 1999. Last week’s win over Ole Miss marked Florida’s first win over a top-five opponent since 2015, while its 52 points are tied for the most in program history against a top-five opponent.
Last week’s win was his most impressive, with running backs Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark combining for nearly 300 rushing yards with four touchdowns, while Florida’s defense forced three total turnovers and held the Rebels to a season-low 28 points.
“This was the kind of victory that helps a new coach make a statement to the SEC and the nation,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. President and CEO David Epps. “In the early stages of his time at Florida, Coach Sumrall has the Gators moving in the right direction, both on and off the field.”
While a 4-0 start is welcomed, Sumrall has made it clear that the Gators have plenty of room to grow ahead of Saturday’s road matchup at No. 25 Missouri. A win over the Tigers would be Florida’s first win at Missouri since 2019 and first 5-0 start since 2019.
“I realize in the public area, the fanbase, it’s exciting. There’s a lot of great, you know, morale, whatever, but here’s the deal, and I told the team this morning, you have to humble yourself or you will be humbled,” Sumrall said on Monday. “Like, if we don’t look in the mirror and hone where we’re deficient still, somebody else will show it to us. And so we – I’m very happy that we won last week. I’m happy that we won each week so far. It beats the alternative. But I’m not, like, celebrating anything.
“Nobody in our building should be celebrating anything. If we are, then we’re totally off-base at how you find success over the long term.”
Kickoff between the Gators and the Tigers is at 3:30 p.m. EDT, with television coverage on ABC.
Enjoy our content? Make Florida Gators on SI a Preferred Source to see more stories from us on Google: https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=si.com
Add us as a preferred source on Google
