GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The devastating news arrived 20 years ago this past April.

Jon Sumrall, Kentucky’s starting middle linebacker and leading tackler the previous season, had missed time in spring camp due to an injury. He underwent tests and did rehab in hopes of getting back on the field.

Instead, doctors advised him to hang up his No. 44 jersey and never to play again.

Sumrall’s heart was broken.

“I know this is a trying time for Jon emotionally,” Wildcats coach Rich Brooks told reporters. “He loves playing football, and to have to give it up, I’m sure, is very hard on him.”

A veteran leader and favorite of the coaches for the way Sumrall never took a snap off, Brooks allowed him to speak to the team following practice. Sumrall’s voice quivered; his eyes blinked away tears.

Sumrall told his teammates he would be there for them and that he needed them there for him, too, more than ever. He later explained his message to the media.

“We’ve got guys who are 100 times better than I am, and I want to see them fulfill their potential because that’s all I ever tried to do,” Sumrall said.

Forced to quit the game he considered his passion due to spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that can lead to permanent paralysis from violent contact, Sumrall transitioned into a coaching career immediately, joining the Wildcats as a student assistant. His coaching career began in earnest the following season when he was paid $15,000 to serve as a graduate assistant.

A destination that seemed unfathomable that day so long ago became Sumrall’s new reality on Sunday afternoon when the University of Florida announced Sumrall as its new head coach. The 43-year-old Sumrall has spent the past two seasons as head coach at Tulane, where he capped a 10-2 regular season on Saturday night with a 27-0 victory over Charlotte.

Sumrall, who is 42-11 in four seasons as a head coach, takes over a Florida program that concluded the regular season with a 40-21 home victory over Florida State on Saturday to finish 4-8. The Gators identified Sumrall as a potential candidate early in the process, as speculation churned about who would take over following the midseason dismissal of Billy Napier.

Sumrall’s name surfaced as a candidate for openings last season at North Carolina, UCF and Purdue, and, before being hired at Tulane, he was reportedly a top candidate to take over his alma mater had Kentucky coach Mark Stoops left for Texas A&M in December 2023.

Sumrall, after a two-year stint with the Wildcats following the premature end of his playing days, showed his commitment to a coaching career when he moved across the country to join Kentucky running backs coach Ron Caragher at the University of San Diego. Caragher replaced head coach Jim Harbaugh at San Diego in 2007 and brought along Sumrall to fill out his staff.

Sumrall quickly established himself as an up-and-coming coach in the industry and may have made an impression on Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin two decades ago. Stricklin was the Kentucky athletic program’s media relations director from 2003-08, a period that overlapped with Sumrall at UK.

Sumrall grew up in Huntsville, Ala., starring at Grissom High before signing with Kentucky in 2001. He caught a game-winning touchdown with eight seconds left to beat defending state champion Clay-Chalkville in the state playoffs his senior season.

At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Sumrall wasn’t the biggest or fastest player, but he had a competitive drive that set him apart. When he returned to his home state for the first time while playing for Kentucky, he explained why he left home rather than accept an offer from the Crimson Tide.

“They wanted me to walk on,” Sumrall told the Huntsville (Ala.) Times in 2003. “But I was going somewhere that wants me to play for them and wants me bad enough to give me a scholarship.”

Sumrall was recruited by Hal Mumme and played for Guy Morriss and Brooks during his college career.

“I am who I am today as a football coach a lot because of the University of Kentucky and really a whole lot of Rich Brooks, [defensive coordinator] Mike Archer,” Sumrall told the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal in August.

Sumrall climbed the coaching ranks and landed his first head-coaching opportunity at Troy (Ala.). University in December 2021, following two seasons back at his alma mater as co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach from 2019-20.

Troy athletic director Brent Jones said Sumrall made a first impression that was difficult to forget.

“In Jon, we have a leader who is energetic, intense and brings a level of passion that is unmatched,” Jones said at the time of Sumrall’s hiring. “He fully understands our championship expectations and has a comprehensive plan to take Troy football to the top of the Sun Belt Conference and the Group of Five.”

In his time at Troy, high school coaches around the state got to know Sumrall and his staff well. Sumrall developed a reputation as a tireless recruiter and a personable coach, unlike others who stopped by.

In an anonymous survey of high school coaches in Alabama conducted by AL.com during Sumrall’s stint at Troy, 22 of 75 responses considered Sumrall as the best college recruiter in the state.

“Jon Sumrall is one of the best recruiters in the country, real and genuine,” one coach said. “His staff now follows his lead.”

Sumrall went 23-4 in two seasons at Troy and departed when Tulane offered him an opportunity to replace Willie Fritz. He left Troy as a conquering hero following a conference championship.

 

“Jon has made good on his promise to return our proud program to a championship level,” Troy chancellor, Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., told reporters. “In turn, our commitment to the football program is unwavering.”

Sumrall’s reputation followed him to Tulane, where he is 19-7 over the past two seasons, including a 33-8 loss to the Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl last season in Tampa.

When Tulane hired Sumrall, athletic director David Harris said, “This is a landmark day for Tulane football. Jon’s passion for the game is unmatched, and I really felt that in meeting him. The Green Wave will be in good hands under his leadership.”

Sumrall proved he is quick to adapt in 2025, following the loss of starting quarterback Darian Mensah to Duke before last season’s Gasparilla Bowl loss to Florida. Twelve of Tulane’s 27 outgoing transfers last season landed at Power Four programs, forcing Sumrall to continually be in search of newcomers as bigger programs poached his top players.

He said he is built for today’s college football landscape.

“I’m not one of these old-school, archaic guys like, ‘Bah humbug,’ on the portal, NIL and [revenue] share,” Sumrall told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “I’m like, pay the players, let them transfer, do whatever. That’s great. Coaches have movement.”

No. 24-ranked Tulane hosts North Texas in the American Conference Championship Game on Friday.

Former Gators linebacker Bam Hardmon, a UF team captain in 2002, is on Sumrall’s Tulane staff as run game coordinator/outside linebackers coach.

Following Saturday night’s win over Charlotte, Sumrall sounded like a coach on a mission to finish what he started with the Green Wave.

He was reminded that students will be back from Thanksgiving break when Tulane hosts North Texas on Friday. He challenged them to show up game-ready like his team.

“They better be there at 8 [in the morning],” Sumrall said as he pointed toward Tulane President Michael Fitz. “I was going to talk to President Fitz and see if we can cancel classes on Friday, let ’em get absolutely hammered, and show up, bring a lot of chaos to the game.”

Sumrall gave it his all as a player and, over the past two decades, hasn’t slowed down as a coach.