Stricklin's Future with the Florida Gators in the Hands of Jon Sumrall

Making his third football head coaching hiring with the Florida Gators, athletic director Scott Stricklin now sees his fate in the hands of Jon Sumrall.

Jon Sumrall is Scott Stricklin's fourth head football coach and third football head coaching hire since becoming the Florida Gators' athletic director. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Lost in the Florida Gators' hiring of Jon Sumrall as their new head coach is the spotlight on athletic director Scott Stricklin. While often criticized, Stricklin acted in what he believed was best for the University of Florida by making this hire.

Now that Sumrall is in place, there is a debate over Stricklin's legacy: should he be viewed as entering a redemption arc, beginning a villain origin story, or embodying a complex blend of both? This question frames the ongoing evaluation of Stricklin's effectiveness and future at Florida.

The Napier Process

After a 3-4 start and 22-23 record in the Swamp, Stricklin fired Billy Napier. That move closed the chapter that the athletic director wrote himself. Napier was not the surprising hire. He was considered one of the top Group of Five head coaches at the time, and with SEC coaching experience, he was an ideal candidate.

His failures were ultimately Stricklin's failures, and the athletic director held on far too long for a coach who never seemed to find his footing.

As the years wore on, and despite last year's late-season surge, Florida as a program never evolved. Playcalling included throwing short of the sticks on third downs and a fixation with the screen pass. Florida, a perennial hotbed of receiving talent, relied mostly on screens to move the ball. Napier's insistence on maintaining play-calling powers led to his undoing.

With this, Napier became the second full-time coach Stricklin hired who ultimately lowered the Gators from perennial power to punchline. This coaching history set the stage, and pressure, for Stricklin's next hire.

The Kiffin Issue

To find Napier's replacement, Stricklin brought in search consultant firm TurnkeyZRG (read about them here) to start interviewing and filtering through qualified candidates to take over as head coach. For weeks, national media and those closest to the university believed that Lane Kiffin would leave Oxford for Gainesville.

In the court of public opinion, Stricklin's perception changed. Instead of the image of the destroyer of the football program, he would be seen as the man who could bring Kiffin into the fold. Then, he wasn't. LSU swooped in and threw a contract worth $91 million at him, and as Kiffin began to ghost Florida, Stricklin pivoted to land a coach many others in the SEC were chasing.

Last-Ditch Effort

At football powers, athletic directors without a measure of success should not get a chance to hire a third coach. However, the timing played into Stricklin's hands. The university doesn't have a president at present and hasn't had a full-time one since Ben Sasse left last year. With the focus aimed at filling that seat first, Stricklin can move unhalted by red tape.

With Sumrall now at the helm, it feels as though the athletic director made his last stand.

Sumrall, from the moment he walked into town, holds a mandate to return the Gators to a semblance of their former glory—or at least win nine or more games per year and consistently challenge for a College Football Playoff spot. The spotlight remains, connecting Stricklin's future directly with Sumrall's performance.

Unless Sumrall succeeds, he will be the last coach Stricklin hires. Supporters note achievements in baseball and basketball, but football remains Florida's highest priority. Ultimately, Stricklin's future should be judged in relation to Sumrall's record, underscoring how this hire defines Stricklin's tenure and narrative at the university.