How Experience Playing for Gators is Inspiring Bam Hardmon as New Assistant Coach

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Jon Sumrall made a promise that he was not going to bring over every single assistant coach from Tulane when he became the Florida Gators head football coach. One carryover seemed obvious, though: outside linebackers coach Bam Hardmon.

Before becoming a coach, Hardmon shone as a linebacker for the Gators from 1999-2002, with that 2002 season remaining one of the best single-season performances in program history. His 168 tackles that year remain fourth-most in a single season in program history.

Considering that, it made complete sense for Sumrall, who had coached with Hardmon at both Troy and Tulane, to bring Hardmon with him. Yet, Hardmon was not sure he would get the job.

"When he got the gig, obviously we were right in the midst of competing for the playoff game, so a lot was going on," he detailed earlier this month. "People was congratulating me. For what, I don’t know because Coach Sumrall had gotten the head job here at Florida. And then, as things started moving, I got the opportunity to come here. I was really excited."

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Bam Hardmon → Outside Linebackers

🔗 https://t.co/7PkRHAIz0y @CoachBamHardmon | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/zCAlCeNW87
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) January 6, 2026

Eventually, the offer came, and Hardmon was reported to join the staff on Dec. 21, 20 days after Sumrall was introduced as the head coach.

“Bringing Coach Hardmon back to Florida was a no-brainer,” Sumrall said in his press release announcing Hardmon's hiring. “Not only is he a former Gator standout, but he’s a great coach and better person. He has proven throughout his career that he can coach, develop and produce results. I can’t think of a better person to oversee our outside linebackers.”

There's a tall task ahead for Hardmon and the rest of the staff, who are taking over a program with four losing seasons in the last five years, including an abysmal 4-8 record a year ago. But it's a tall task that Hardmon takes personally, especially with how his career ended.

While he had plenty of success in 2002, Hardmon was quick to point out that the Gators' 8-5 record that season was the worst of his career. The previous three seasons, all of which had at least nine wins with no more than four losses, Florida had one SEC title, two SEC East Division titles and a win in the Orange Bowl.

That 2002 season saw the Gators lose in blowout fashion at home to Miami and LSU and drop its last two games of the year to FSU and Michigan (Outback Bowl). The lessons learned about team success over personal success is something Hardmon is carrying with him as a coach.

"It's one of those things where you live and you learn," he said. "And that's why I'm coming back here to really try to get us going in the right direction. Because that type of year wasn't good enough. Neither was what Florida was last year."

That year also taught him an extremely important trait he needs as a coach: recruiting.

While he spent just one season under Ron Zook (2002), that season led Hardmon to his coaching career. Zook, who became Illinois' head coach after his firing from Florida, gave Hardmon his first coaching gig as a graduate assistant with the Illini in 2008.

Seeing Zook as a player, where Zook would have Hardmon act as a player-host, and then as a GA, where he got to be in the recruiting meetings, gave Hardmon a multi-faceted understanding of how to be an effective recruiter.

"He was really a good motivator, in the sense of as a player, you enjoyed being around him," Hardmon said. "He approached recruiting in an aggressive manner. Even I recognized that as a player.

He was able to put that experience into practice early in his Gators' tenure. One of his first tasks as an assistant: keep Jayden Woods from transferring.

After the star freshman entered the portal and had considerable interest from other SEC schools, including Texas, Hardmon joined Sumrall and defensive coordinator Brad White on a trip to Kansas, hoping to retain Woods. Hardmon had previously Facetimed Woods, but meeting him and his family in-person helped build the relationship while allowing the staff and Woods and his family to get more comfortable with each other.

The plan worked, and Woods re-signed with Florida shortly after.

"I think the sky’s the limit for him," Hardmon said of Woods. "I think he approaches things the right way, just from a work ethic, from his preparation. So he’s doing all the right things in the offseason to help give him a chance to having a lot of success when fall starts.”

Just a few 🐊s hanging out!!….. I’m excited to watch the growth.#TrustTheProcess pic.twitter.com/vfdyIH2D45
— Coach Bam Hardmon (@CoachBamHardmon) February 11, 2026

It also helps that Hardmon can use the classic "former player" approach in his role. He admitted as much.

"I can speak about that because my name is on a wall or two. I’m on a picture here and there," he said. "I think there’s an advantage there when, as a kid comes in, I can say, ‘Hey, that’s Bam Hardmon. That’s me.’ Those types of things.”

Overall, Hardmon understands the task at hand as part of Sumrall's staff. He knows what the fanbase is expecting, and he knows what it takes to have success at Florida. And, it is not something he is taking for granted.

"I walk through the building often, and just say ‘my, my, my, I’m really back here, and actually as a coach now,'" he said. "I have a chance to help with the process of getting this place to where it was when I was here."