Paul Finebaum Names College Football Head Coach Who ‘Has It All’ After Week 4 Win

Florida head coach Jon Sumrall has turned a 4-0 start into national praise, and ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum now says the first-year Gators coach could become one of the best in college football.

Finebaum made the claim Sunday on ESPN's The Matt Barrie Show, one day after No. 21 Florida routed visiting No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28. “He’s got it all,” Finebaum said. “He doesn’t miss a moment.”

Paul Finebaum on Jon Sumrall

Paul Finebaum Names College Football Head Coach Who ‘Has It All’ After Week 4 Win — Florida head coach Jon Sumrall reacts to fans after Florida beat Ole Miss | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Finebaum said he spent two days around the Huntsville, Alabama, native this year. He called Sumrall “about as impressive a coach as I have seen in a generation.”

Florida first chased LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, who left Ole Miss for Baton Rouge late in 2025. So Finebaum compared the two hires.

“This is about Jon Sumrall. They got the better coach. They got a coach with no drama who is the embodiment of that program,” Finebaum said. Last week, he said Florida was lucky to have Sumrall.

He added that Florida fans will say they “got the best coach of the coaching sweepstakes” when the season ends. “I think Jon Sumrall is heading toward being one of the best coaches in college football,” Finebaum said.

Why is Florida winning under Sumrall?

Finebaum pointed to the offseason. He credited Sumrall and a strength coach who has worked with him since his days at Troy.

“They really won in the weight room, and I know that sounds cliché, and people don’t want to hear that,” Finebaum said. “But it’s hard in today’s environment to get these high-priced guys to buy into something as tedious and as difficult.”

He also compared Florida’s approach to the style former Alabama head coach Nick Saban used. “We’re not going to give you the opportunity to quit,” Finebaum said. “We’re going to make you quit.”

Against Ole Miss, Florida ran for 302 yards and six touchdowns. The win ended Florida’s 12-game losing streak against top-five teams.

In addition, Sumrall became the first coach in Southeastern Conference history whose team scored 200 or more points in his first four games.

Finebaum's Sumrall take in 2025

Finebaum's praise marks a big shift from November 2025, when Florida hired Sumrall away from Tulane. Auburn had targeted the former Kentucky linebacker first, and Finebaum doubted his fit in Gainesville.

“I don’t know how Jon Sumrall fits there,” Finebaum said at the time. “He fit Auburn very well. I’m not sure anybody fits Florida.”

On Sunday, Finebaum brought up Auburn again. Florida won 44-39 at Auburn on Sept. 19 for its first win there since 1999.

“And that’s what happened against Auburn, a place where we all know the Sumrall story,” Finebaum said. “He was heading there until miscues occurred.”

The Gators jumped 13 spots to No. 8 in Sunday’s Associated Press Top 25, their first top-10 spot since 2021. Florida visits No. 25 Missouri on Saturday.

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