Urban Meyer Praises Florida Coach Jon Sumrall After Single Phone Call
Former Gators coach Urban Meyer expressed strong confidence in Jon Sumrall, calling him the right hire after a brief conversation during the coaching search.
Urban Meyer, a former national championship-winning coach for the University of Florida, stated that he knew Jon Sumrall was the right choice for the Gators' head coach position after a single phone call during the recent coaching search.
Sumrall, in his first season as Florida's head coach, has led the team to two top-10 wins against Ole Miss and Texas. Meyer, who was involved in vetting candidates for the position, shared his endorsement of Sumrall with Dan Dakich on the "Don't @ Me" show.
"I don't like him, I love the guy," Meyer said of Sumrall. "I never met him until this year, I was involved in the coaching search. They asked me to kind of vet, and one phone call, I hung up the phone and I called a guy on the board of trustees and I said, 'you found your guy, man.'"
Meyer, who has a notable coaching tree including Ryan Day, Dan Mullen, and Mike Vrabel, believes Sumrall possesses the qualities of a strong leader.
"This guy doesn't b—h... you ever hear him bitch about the NIL? You ever hear him b—h about the transfer portal," Meyer asked rhetorically. "No, he loves the game. He loves his players." Meyer also highlighted Sumrall's demanding yet supportive approach to coaching players, noting his enthusiasm for the game and his team.
"I love when he says, 'yeah, we suck, we just suck less today and we beat Texas.' I mean how cool is that?" Meyer added. Meyer sees parallels between himself and the 43-year-old Sumrall, particularly in their coaching philosophies and the structure of their support staff. He mentioned the importance of the strength coach, noting that Florida's head strength coach, Rusty Whitt, is a former Green Beret who runs the program.
Sumrall took over as Florida's head coach in December 2025. His early success with the Gators includes significant victories that have led Meyer to publicly commend the hire, suggesting his initial assessment was accurate.
![Jon Sumrall speaks at a press conference introducing him as the new head football coach.]( "Jon Sumrall speaks during a press conference introducing him as the new head football coach at the James W. "Bill" Heavener Football Training Center at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., on Dec. 1, 2025.")
