Why Jon Sumrall Brought UF Championship Coaches to Speak to the Gators Football Team

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators have not won a national championship in football since the 2008 season. First-year head coach Jon Sumrall looks to change that.

To help, he has plenty of national-championship allies around UF to help, part of which includes having those coaches speak to Florida's football team during fall camp.

"I think one of the great things about being the University of Florida is the standard of everybody is championships and excellence," Sumrall told Florida Gators on SI. "And so, I've gotten really close with those other head coaches in our athletic department."

Florida welcomed men's basketball coach Todd Golden, gymnastics coach Jenny Rowland, softball coach Tim Walton, track and field coach Mike Holloway, men's golf coach JC Deacon and baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan — most of whom have won at least one national title with the Gators — to speak to the program.

Each spoke about their own unique championship experiences with one common theme: it is about the team.

"They talked about the team and their journey to winning a national championship," quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. said. "They talked about the adversity piece and what their team did throughout practice and their practice habits, and what the team did because it's player-led. Player-led teams win national championships, so they talked about the team aspect and what they did and their journey to be able to win those games."

Golden, who won a national title in 2025, opened things off by discussing his need for players who want to be at Florida over other options around the country, reiterating how the culture built within his program allows him to consistently retain players.

"Every guy in my program, I make sure Florida is their dream school, Florida is where they want to be" Golden said. "If you have a great attitude, if you work your ass off and, more importantly, if you want to make Florida the best it could be, I guarantee you guys will have a great season."

Sumrall saw similarities between Golden's message and his daily message to the team.

"I felt like when TG talked, I felt like I just him tell them our message every day, and he just said it," Sumrall said. "I was like, 'This is awesome. So good to hear. So refreshing.' Our guys were like, after we got done that, a couple of them were like, 'Coach, did you tell him what to say?' I'm like, ‘No, that's just who he is.'"

Thanks for stopping by Coach 🐊

🫡 @GatorsMBK pic.twitter.com/DjKAmXiSn9
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 12, 2026

He also found some humor in Golden's speech.

"The good thing about having TG talk to our team is that he cusses a little bit more than me," Sumrall quipped. "So, (he) makes me look good."

Rowland, who took over the gymnastics program a year after its most recent national title (2015) and who has won four SEC titles, followed a couple of days after Golden. She emphasized how championship teams are not built in a day and instead are built by continual small habits that are positive

Walton, who won national titles in 2014 and 2015, echoed Golden's message of wanting players who truly want to be at Florida, using the fact that the Gators' softball program did not lose a single player to transfer this offseason as an example. He also emphasized how the football program, whether it be a starter or a reserve, makes a big impact in the local community.

Holloway, arguably the most successful head coach in UF athletics history with 14 national titles in his tenure, detailed how it takes total buy-in and belief from everyone within the program to build a championship team.

"You guys have a chance to make this place special the way everyone says it is," He said. "But, the place isn't special because we have facilities. What makes this place special is the people, and what will make this football team special is you guys."

Important message from an important guest 🫡

Thank you to 14-time National Champion Head Coach Mike Holloway for visiting 🐊 @HeadGatorTRK | @GatorsTF pic.twitter.com/1ejvo3LqfI
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 18, 2026

Deacon followed suit, explaining how work ethic and attitude played a big role in the Gators' men's golf program winning a national title in 2023.

"In our program, we're having a lot of success right now," Deacon said. "Those two things are non-negotiable."

Rounding out the group is O'Sullivan, Florida's lone national-championship head baseball coach after winning the College World Series in 2017. O'Sullivan pointed towards brotherhood as a leading reason for that title.

"Teammates win games. Brotherhoods, they bring championships," he said.

Brotherhood brings championships 🗣️

Thank you to @GatorsBB National Champion Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan for stopping by 🐊 pic.twitter.com/lrhtCvmRa5
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 21, 2026

Those various messages have seemingly resonated with Florida's roster.

"It was awesome to be able to hear from them," quarterback Aaron Philo said. "They just gave us a great message about the team. It's all about the team, and we have to stick together and we have to love each other and we got to compete for each other. Through adversity, we all gotta stick together, and we gotta work our butts off and go get it."

Those talks also had an impact on Sumrall, who added that the best part about his relationships with the other coaches is their encouragement.

"They see what we're doing. They're like, 'Hey man, block out the noise. Keep doing your thing. You all do it the right way,'" Sumrall said. "They've been in practice. They've watched this work. A lot of them have come around, and so to hear their perspective, they feel what we're trying to build, and they've got our back, and they're great allies."

Whether Sumrall can eventually join the large group of championship-winning coaches at the University of Florida will be the next question, but the confidence within the building is there. For now, attention remains on the building blocks in Year One, which begins on Sept. 5 with a home game against FAU.

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