Florida’s new head football coach makes his feelings on FSU very clear
New Florida head coach Jon Sumrall didn’t hesitate when asked to rank the Gators’ biggest rivals, placing Florida State at the top.
Jon Sumrall has been on the job in Gainesville for less than six months, and he's already talking like a Florida man. In a recent interview with CBS Sports CFB, the first-year Gators head coach was posed a direct question: rank Florida State , Miami, Georgia, and LSU in order of which program he already hates the most. His answer left no room for interpretation.
"Yeah, I think you probably have to start with Florida State," Sumrall said. "We play them year in, year out. They're within the same state as us.
And so that one has to be, to me, that's got to be the top. " The comments carry genuine weight coming from a coach who has made clarity and accountability his brand since arriving in Gainesville. The timing of the comments adds another layer of intrigue.
Florida is coming off a dismal 4-8, 2-6 SEC season under former head coach Billy Napier, and Sumrall is tasked with reversing a program trajectory that has been trending in the wrong direction for the better part of a decade. The Florida-Florida State series has been lopsided in recent years, with the Gators and Seminoles set to meet again in 2026 as part of a schedule that also includes Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas, and Georgia. The two programs will settle things on Nov.