Gators Poach Power Four OC as Jon Sumrall's Second Coordinator Hire, Per Report

Jon Sumrall's first staff with the Florida Gators is officially coming together as he has reportedly hired an offensive coordinator.

New UF head football coach Jon Sumrall now has both of his coordinators for next season. | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- After hiring Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White as his first defensive coordinator as head coach of the Florida Gators, Jon Sumrall has added another veteran Power Four assistant as his offensive coordinator.

Florida is expected Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner in the same role, according to multiple reports. Faulkner has been the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for the Yellow Jackets for the last three seasons after working with the quarterbacks as a quality control coach at Georgia from 2020-22.

ESPN's Pete Thamel was first to report, adding that Georgia Tech was willing to match Florida's offer, but Faulkner ultimately decided to come to Florida.

Other rumored candidates for the job included Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell, the son of former UF quarterback Kerwin Bell, as well as Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle.

BREAKING: Florida is hiring Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, @PeteNakos & @clowfb report🐊https://t.co/IEQUxvZf6Z pic.twitter.com/M1DzoM2hzS

— On3 (@On3sports) December 4, 2025

In his three seasons at Georgia Tech, Faulkner led one of the top rushing attacks in the country with 203.8 yards per game in 2023 (first in ACC, 12th nationally), 187 yards per game in 2024 and 203 yards per game in 2025 (19th nationally).

Passing-wise, Faulkner's offense was led by one of the more consistent quarterbacks in the country in Haynes King, who completed over 70 percent of his passes in the last two seasons with 26 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. King has also played a strong part in the Yellow Jackets' rushing success with over 2,200 yards and 34 touchdowns rushing in the last three seasons.

This season, Georgia Tech (9-3) has the No. 12 offense with 466.2 yards and No. 28 scoring offense with 33.1 points per game.

Faulkner will be in charge of leading a turnaround for a Florida offense that has been wildly inconsistent over the last four years. In the four seasons under former head coach Billy Napier and his staff, the Gators never averaged over 30 points per game and only one season of at least 420 yards per game.

Faulkner will also lead a staff in charge of developing rising junior quarterback DJ Lagway, who had a steep regression last season with 14 interceptions to go with 16 touchdown passes. He will also join Sumrall's efforts in retaining rising junior running back Jadan Baugh, who rushed for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns last season, becoming the first Gator to rush for over 1,000 yards in 10 seasons.

He rushed for 266 yards in last week's season-finale against Florida State.

"I think we got some good football players," Sumrall said on Monday. "I watched that (FSU) game Saturday before I went and played Saturday, and I'm like, 'Hey, can I give the ball to No. 13 ten more times' because if an offensive coordinator doesn't know what to do, that's a pretty good choice

Faulkner first entered the coaching ranks as a student assistant at Valdosta State in 2005 before stints as a graduate assistant at Georgia (2006), quarterbacks coach (2007) and offensive coordinator (2008) at Valdosta State, quarterbacks coach at Central Arkansas (2009), offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Murray State (2010), offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Middle Tennessee (2011-15), offensive coordinator (2016-18) and tight ends coach (2017-18) at Arkansas State and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Southern Miss (2019).

Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall has hired Brad White as his defensive coordinator and reportedly added Buster Faulkner as his offensive coordinator. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Of note, this will be Faulkner's first coaching stint with Sumrall, proof of a promise Sumrall made to hire top-tier assistants while not prioritizing his friends. Sumrall said that at Florida, he will retain some staffers, may bring others he has overlapped with at some point in his career and add others whom he hasn't worked with but need to be at Florida to help them win championships.

 "I don't hire a staff off of who are my buddies," he explained. "I hire a staff based upon what is the absolute best group of people we can put together to serve and develop our players and win championships at that place."