How Jon Sumrall is Bringing a Jordan Mentality to Florida Gators

Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall was faced with an ever-important question: Who would you start, sit and cut between prime Lebron James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant? For the hyper-competitive, self-branded lunatic, the answer was rather easy.

“I think Lebron is a special, freak athlete. Like he is a stud. I'm starting MJ, bro,” Sumrall said when asked the question during an interview with Hightop Sports. “Cause when it is time to do it, he is going to do it. What I love about MJ is he wants to beat your ass in anything, I don’t care if it is golf, gambling, whatever. That dude wants to win, and so I love MJ for that and that alone.”

Though Sumrall does his competing on the gridiron and not the hardwood like the NBA legend Jordan, the new Gators head man’s ambition and fire since getting to Gainesville somewhat mirrors the six-time world champion known for such tenacity as a player. Once a hard-nosed linebacker in his days as a player himself, such same characteristics in Sumrall have shown throughout his time as a coach.

“Man, you want to talk about fire, energy, passion, like that guy’s about it,” tight ends coach Evan McKissack said on Sumrall after knowing the coach since his time at Kentucky in 2017.

“Jon and I've known each other now probably going on four or five years. I think you can see his passion, his energy, you know, he's a proven winner, and that's something that I was attracted to,” New offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said.

Like Jordan, Sumrall puts an emphasis on the standard of success wherever he goes, pushing his players to work towards such goals and establish a grit inside his program that the Bull’s hall of famer embodied on his way to winning multiple championships. Often branded as somewhat psychotic, the two share a noticeable relentlessness that is unique but often needed in sports.

“The dude is intense. The dude is a little bit psychopathic,” On3’s J.D. Pickell said about Sumrall.

“I don’t even think people realize how psycho this dude is. His mentality was to destroy you,” former Bull John Salley said of his teammate Jordan.

While Sumrall is nowhere near reaching the success of a legend like Jordan, the coach seems to bring the same Jordan-esque determination to Gainesville, hoping for the same levels of success now as Florida’s head coach. Though a long way to go towards achieving it, the mindset does feel much needed for a program that once was known for such fire, yet has lacked it in recent years.

“That passion and enthusiasm, the fire, that's part of what attracted me here, because I'm wired the same way,” Sumrall said about coming to Florida. “The standard here is championships. That's why I came. I'm built for this job. I was made for this job. Winners win; I'm a winner; we're going to win.”

Though many championships away from Jordan’s legacy, Sumrall’s same thirst for success is needed if he is going to bring back the once elite Florida standard. The culture is a long way away from being established, yet the clear ambition has been refreshing early on in his tenure with the program.