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The 2026 season quickly approaching for John Sumrall and the Florida Gators, a new era officially begins after. As we begin this, looking back at what took place in 2025, disappointing to say the least. I'm not sure that word truly describes what happened to Florida football in 2025. Everything came to a head with Billy Napier. 4 and 8 overall, 2 and 6 in conference play. And guys, really, you might recall in the 2025 season, after the South Florida game, it was all she wrote, right? The Gators fall 18 to 16 in week number two. And, you know, that was it. That was it for Billy Napier. I think everyone knew. Even after the win over Texas. 29, 21, you just. You knew it was over. You knew it was over, right? It was time to go a different direction. And thankfully, the Florida Gators did. You might recall, too. It's crazy to think this time last year there was a lot of hype and a lot of excitement around Florida football. There were people picking Billy Napier in the Florida Gators to be a. A college Football playoff dark horse and to make the College Football Playoff after the way they ended the 2024 season. And it just simply did not come to fruition. I mean, DJ Lagway, who's now at Baylor, was just not very good. The play calling was uninspiring. The way Florida played on the field was uninspiring at times. And Billy Napier's Gators programs had. And his Gator program had, unfortunately, the characteristics of a stupid football team. One that could not get out of its own way, always shot itself in the foot. Heavily penalized football team. I mean, who can recall the two players wearing the same number, having only 10 guys on the field or having 12 guys on the field or whatever. And again, the bottom line was this. They didn't win enough football games. And it was ugly to watch as well. So Florida makes the change. And I will never forget guys, of course, on the road last year, being at the Ole Miss Florida game in Oxford. That game was on Nov. 15, when everybody was in the heat of the Lane Kiffin saga. Is he gonna stay? Is he gonna go? What's the deal with Lane Kiffin? And I remember being at that game in Oxford. It was one of the most awkward, strange, different, however you want to describe it, it was one of the most unique settings for a college football game I'd ever experienced. On the standpoint of, there was emphasis and focus on the game. Ole Miss was doing something historic with their season, right? But there was also the focus on Lane Kiffin. And there was a strong belief by Florida Gator fans and boosters and just people around that program alike that Lane Kiffin was going to be the next head football coach in Gainesville. And it was Lane Kiffin or bust. Well, as we all know, the rest is history. As they say, Lane Kiffin did not take the Florida job. Instead, he takes the LSU job, which leaves Florida scrambling. Which way do we go? What direction? Where do we turn? Whatever the name John Sumrall came up, and that's where I want to go. John Sumrall, entering his first season. And I think, admittedly, I think if a lot of Florida fans are honest with themselves, and a lot of what we saw on social media, the initial reaction by many was not positive, right? Because what was Billy Napier, right, A coach from the state of Louisiana who coached in the G6, who got the opportunity at Florida, who failed. What is John Sumrall, State of Louisiana G6 head football coach? You see where I'm getting at here? So I think there was some immediate pushback on that. And especially, too, when it was the thought of, we're gonna get Lane Kiffin, he's gonna be rocking his visor on the sideline. Steve Spurrier wants him. From what people have been saying, when you did not get him, there was a sense of letdown, there was a sense of disappointment, there was a sense of anger and resentment. But I think after the move was made and you got to listen to John Sumrall and see the way he does things and see the way he moves, I think the approval rating is really high. And I'll tell you this, guys, and I listen, I'm not going to be someone to say, like, if you could have got Lane Kiffin, you wouldn't have taken him right now, right? But I think we could get to a place and we could be at a place where you look at John Somerl and say, he is the perfect fit for Florida, right? He fits the Florida man Persona. He's a little cuckoo. He's a little crazy, right? He had the comment, hey, if we don't win football games, you're gonna have to call somebody because I'll be standing at the top of the stadium about to jump off. Like, that's hilarious, right? When he had the comment about not going to taking his wife to Italy because we got practice or whatever it was about, we got to be in the building. That was funny, right? He's a little bit of a quirky dude, which when you think about Florida and think about winning the best coach ever there. Steve Spurrier, quirky dude, a little bit off his rocker, a little bit screws loose, but a genius. A genius that he was. So John Sumrall takes over. I think he is the best you could have done if you were to not get Lane Kiffin, in my opinion. Right. It's always a risk when you're hiring a new coach. You don't even if you'd have got Lane Kiffin, you don't know for sure. But I think John Sumrall, I think the at minimum, what he will bring to the Florida Gators football program, energy, intensity, discipline, excitement. All things that were lacking under Billy Napier. All things that were lacking. So at minimum, I don't think you should have not hired the guy because of his credentials. From the standpoint of G6, Louisiana, whatever. He's his own person. Billy Napier is his own person. So again, John Sumrall first season, there's a new excitement, new energy out of Florida Gator football. And as we take a look at this football team, because in regards to what John Sumrall's got to work with, I mean, guys, you could argue, even if you don't want to say he's in the best position of the new coaches in the sec, he's certainly in one of the best positions. Because as we start on the offensive side of the football, a huge win for John Sumrall, you get Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech, one of the most highly regarded offensive minds in the country. He takes over. Now the big question for the offense is going to be in the quarterback position. Aaron Philo comes in from Georgia Tech following Faulkner. Tramell Jones Jr. Who is a younger player, he is a freshman. Is it going to be Philo, Is it going to BE Tramell Jones Jr. That is the big question. Who is the trigger man for this offense. But guys, you have Jaden Ball back, one of the best backs, if not the best back in all of college football. On the outside, you might have the best wide receiver room in the country. Dallas Wilson, Vernell Brown III, Eric Singleton Jr. Who comes in from Auburn, who was also previously at Georgia tech. Micah Mays Jr. Who turned heads in the spring game, coming in from Wake Forest. They man, again, one of the best wide receiver rooms in the sec. Whoever's taking the snaps under center, you're going to have Jaden Ball to hand the ball off to and that crop of receivers to throw to. I mean, you're getting handed the keys to a Bentley. It seems essentially Luke harping, Amir Jackson, man, in the tight end spot. You got two starters back on the offensive line and I'd probably say the offensive line is the other question mark of this offense. You did pick up TJ Shanahan from Texas A and M. Harrison Moore from Georgia Tech and A. Mecca Yugori from Stanford added them to bolster the group. Of course, bolstering your offensive front via the transfer portal. Florida's got to get back to playing elite offense. Guys, when you think of Florida Gators football, you know there's this misconception it's only offense. And that's not what I'm trying to say because you know those Steve Spurier teams, even when Florida was greater urban Meer, they were filthy on the defensive side. I mean they, they, they struck the fear of God in you when you played them from what they had from a defensive standpoint. But I mean guys, this is Florida football. Florida fans want to score points, right? Even if you're not going to be like, if you're not going to be the best, at least be entertaining. And so I think that is a big objective for John Sumrall, Buster Faulkner and his staff. Get Florida football back to a place where the offense is fun to watch. I, I think at minimum from a play calling perspective, this offense is going to be much, much better. I don't think talent was ever the issue here, right? It was coaching malpractice. Like for example, when you look at a jaden ball, how there were times where he was not touching the football at minimum 20 times in a game, 25 times, heck, he should probably touch it 30 times a game. When you think about the player he is, the fact that there were times where that didn't happen. Inexcusable. John Sumrall made the comment when he was hired, hey, if we can give it to him 40 times in a game, we'll do it. And that was music to the years of Gator fans. I hate to simplify this down to. It's as simple as can you find the right quarterback? Because I think you do have some questions on the offensive line and that's got to come together because even if you're, let's just say you're average on the yo line, you got a running back that can make guys miss, right? You got one of the best backs and not just the entire conference, for the entire country, it really does feel like it comes down to finding the right signal caller. Is it Aaron Philo? Is it Tramell Jones Jr. That's the million dollar question. And I wonder, guys with the way the schedule starts out with back to back non conference games, we'll get into the schedule more in a moment. But with the way the schedule shakes out, is this a battle that goes into the season? And I'd almost say why wouldn't it? You know, you just need to make sure you've got your quarterback figured out. Know who your guy is by week three when you open SEC play down on the plains in Auburn. That's your number one objective. Make sure you know who your guy is by September 19th. You can do that, you'll be fine. But it really does come down. If they can hit on the quarterback, the quarterback is the pick to click here. If they can hit on the quarterback. Guys, I think Florida can actually have one of the best offenses in the entire sec. I mean, Jaden Ball is a monster. Dallas Wilson's Megatron Jr. It seems, and Vernell Brown III, Eric Singleton Jr. Micah Mays, I mean it's, it's going to be. They've got weapons everywhere. It's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the weapons on the offensive side of the football. Got to get that quarterback right though. Now defensively, Brad White takes over as a defensive coordinator. He brings his 3, 4 scheme in from his previous days at Kentucky. Guys, this front seven could be lethal. L.J. mcRae, Jaden woods are anchoring the pass rush. Jeremiah McLeod, Brendan bet fill up the interior. Miles Graham, Jaden Robinson and Aaron Childs, man, the linebacker spots again. Guys, that front seven, they got a couple guys last year that flashed as freshmen that are looking to take big steps as sophomores. The one thing defensively, I will say, L.J. mcCrae, who I mentioned the end, only played four snaps in 20, 25. He's got to stay healthy, right? But I mean if he can, guys, this front seven, this front seven could be awesome. Awesome. Now secondary I think is the question mark. Bryce Thornton's back. D.J. coleman, the Baylor transfer takes over at the other safety. Red shirt freshman Ben Hanks III was pretty good in the spring for them. Dijon Johnson, Cormani Mlan need to be more consistent. So secondary is where. But it all starts up front. I think if you can generate a pass rush, right, goes without saying, if you can generate a pass rush consistently, that is going to help a secondary like the, the, the ceiling and floor of a secondary is controlled by pass rush. How much can you disrupt the quarterback? Because you could have the best secondary in the country. But if you get the quarterback seven seconds to throw, you can't cover that Long, you're going to get picked apart. You could have a very average secondary, if not below average. But hey, if the quarterback's got two seconds to make a decision, guess what? You're going to get a lot of opportunities for turnovers and. And you're going to make your secondary look really good. So Florida has the front seven, I think, to mask those issues in the secondary, because that is where the question is. But, man, this front seven could be the best they've had in quite some time there. And it's, again, it's. It is a great situation that John Somer, all, Brad White have inherited on the defensive side with some of the pieces that they have to work with. Guys, let's turn the attention to special teams. Yep. We show love to the specialists here at SEC Unfiltered. Let's do that really quickly. Patrick Durkin, Alex Clark both come from Tulane. Follow John Summerall. They will man the kicking and the punting duties, respectively. Patrick Durkin went 25 for 28 on field goals last season. Alec Clark, 46 and a half yards per punt. So both guys pretty good. Vernell Brown III poses to be a dangerous return man. They got a number of options. They can go with other guys as well. Guys should be pretty good in the return game. You feel pretty good, though, about Durkin and Clark and what they were going to give you. So, special teams, listen, here's the deal. I think Florida should be fine now without having the. You guys might recall, and I forget exactly what it's called, but they had essentially like the Twister board on the sideline where it had 11 dots and all 11 guys had to go stand on a dot. They did that to ensure and. Or try to ensure. They had 11 men on the field for a field goal, and it still didn't work. So I don't think special teams, Gator fans, you can take a deep breath. I don't think special teams should be the nightmare that it was under Billy Napier. Thank God. Baby steps, man. Baby steps. You gotta. You gotta crawl before you can walk. You gotta walk before you can run. Right? Celebrate the little victories now when it comes to the Florida Gators and what our friends over at KI have to say as we turn to our overall outlook of Florida entering the 2026 season. KI gives Florida a 70% chance to win seven or more games this season. Let me actually back up, kelsey. Gives Florida a 96 chance to win five or more games, 81 chance to win six or more. 70% to win seven or more some pretty good numbers, 50 to win eight or more. So I would say the win total where it really breaks about seven and a half over under seven and a half for Florida, a 35 chance to win nine or more games, 18 chance to win 10 or more, 8% chance to win 11 or more and 4% chance to win 12 games. In regards to making the College Football Playoff. The Florida Gators a 23% chance via our friends over at Kalshi. And finally, percentage chance to win the national title. Florida sits at a 2% percent chance to win it all. Six starters are back for the Gators. Three on offense, three on defense. And guys, as we take a Look at the 2026 schedule, what awaits John Sumrall in his first year? You open up a non conference Florida Atlantic. Campbell, like I mentioned earlier in the show, guys, I do think that gives you a great opportunity if you want to take this quarterback battle or really any position battle for that battle, but certainly the quarterback position if you want to take that battle into the season, which I think would be smart. Get a look at both of them. Unless there's one that is head and shoulders better and truly separates themselves. You can get a look against Florida Atlantic and Campbell and you feel pretty confident. You're not, you're obviously not going to have any trouble winning either one of those games. But you got to get it figured out for September 19th because that's when you open SEC Play and you're on the road at Auburn. That is a massive game for both sides and I think one of the most underrated games, the 2026 SEC football season. You then have Ole Miss at home, you're at Mizzou, South Carolina at home, at Texas, Georgia and Atlanta in the cocktail party, Oklahoma at home at Kentucky, Vandy at home, and then at Florida State. So I mean, all in all, guys, you know, you get some of your biggest games. I know you got to go to Texas. I don't want to be really tough. They're not going to be overlooking you, obviously because of what happen last year. But outside of that, guys, you get your big ones at home. I know you got Georgia and Atlanta and the, the cocktail party kind of is what it is. But you know, you get that old miss game at home. South Carolina's at home, Oklahoma's at home, Vandy's at home. You know, you feel pretty good about your chances in the swamp now you got to protect the swamp. That's a big key for John Sumrall, not just in year one, throughout his tenure Florida, I think, is one of those places. I mean, really everywhere, every fan base wants you to win at home. But I think Florida, because of the history and tradition of the Swamp being one of the toughest places to play in college football, winning at home is of the utmost importance. Again, I think that Auburn game, that first conference game against Auburn, I think that's a huge game in regards to setting the tone of year one John Summerall, right, Because you've also got year one Alex Golish. Something's got to give, right? I think for both of those teams, you can argue that is a game that depending on the result of that game could spark your season. You know, you go to Auburn, you win that game, you're sitting three, zero, you're feeling confident. All of a sudden, here comes Ole Miss to your house. Who knows? Again, the Swamp's a tough place to play. You feel confident at the Swamp that you could beat anybody no matter who you're playing, right? I mean the fact you have Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, that That's a defining three game stretch, I would say, right? Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, October 17th, 31st and then November 7th. Guys, I could argue though, the one, the one right before that and the one right after that, super important for Florida. The South Carolina game at home, swing game, big game. That was one thing Billy Napier did successfully. He beat South Carolina. He owned Shane Beamer. Right. The Gamecocks have also had horrendous history in the Swamp. What does that really mean? That's for you to decide. But that one before that stretch and then at Kentucky after that stretch, I understand Gator fans will scoff and they will laugh, but I mean that Florida, Kentucky series used to be all one sided. Last couple years, Kentucky had Florida's number for a bit. You cannot lose to Kentucky anymore. Florida should never lose the Kentucky in football. I'll just say that should never. It should not happen. I don't care where the game's being played. Tough, tough schedule, but a workable schedule for the Gators. And that leads us into guys. What are realistic expectations for year one of John Sumrall? Like, I, I think when you're talking about Florida, that's where I want to start because I am someone. If you've heard me talk about Lane Kiffin and lsu, for example, or really any of these first year head coaches, I am still someone. I understand what Kurt signetted to college football and he made it, you know, feel as if that there is no grace period. You have to win big in year one. You have to win A national title by year two. I still just don't buy that. I still think it's tough. And you're one of a new head coach. When you have so many moving pieces and so much change and you're trying to implement a culture and you're trying to implement, you know, put your stamp on a program, it's, it's a lot to turn around. Especially when you're taking over a program with as much talent as Florida has. They went 4 and 8 last year, guys, they were 2 and 6 in the conference. It is what it is. They were what they were. You are what your record says you are. Although this is not your typical year one situation from the standpoint of guys, this roster is loaded with talent. Like that's the thing that, and it's ultimately probably one of the things that got Billy Napier fired. It wasn't the talent at Florida that was lacking. It was the leadership. It was the guy in charge. And so you look at this roster guys, you still have a lot of really talented football players. You do I think realistic expectations in year one of John Sumrall Field a winning record. I, I think that is a very realistic expectation. You know, seven and five at a place like Florida. I don't care if it's year one or not, it's not going to be celebrated. And I'm not saying Florida fans should celebrate it. You know, depending on how it looks. I think context is going to matter significantly here because it was, it was so dreadful to watch in the previous seasons from an operational standpoint, from a, you know, just watching a football team commit self inflicted wounds time and time again be a stupid football team. From the operational perspective it is going to matter how it looks. If you get beat, you get beat. But hey, make it be because the other team just beat you. Hey, you know what? There's better than us. Tip your cap. They're just better than us. It is what it is, right? But I mean it'd be games. I remember being at one of the cocktail parties and, and you know, Florida, Georgia and you have a bad snap on a field goal changes the game, right? How many times did stuff like that happen? I mean there were times where Billy Napiers teams didn't show up. The shellacking against Miami in 2024, you know they were just. The game against Utah a couple years ago where they, they, they have two guys the same number. I believe that was the game. It just can't happen. Just cannot happen. Here 1 of John Sumrall from an operational standpoint like, it needs to be clean. It matters how it looks. Right? The offense needs to be good. And I think if you can just have a winning record in year one, I think 8 and 4 would be the most ideal. Like, if you can. If you can lay the foundation in year one with an eight and four record. I. I think that if you can flip the record from last year to this year, 4 and 8 to 8 and 4, I don't know. I think those are realistic expectations, guys. I do. I think this roster is talented enough to go eight and four. This. I mean, this roster might be talented enough to do even more. And I. I think that's what's so interesting about Florida. You know, even with this bad run of Gators football that we've been on with Billy Napier and. And what happened with the. The McEl Wayne era, will Musk champ. I mean, you know, it's. It's been a very interesting decade or so for the Gators. Decade plus last 15 years. The Florida brand still holds so much weight, which is why I think, you see there are high expectations for Florida in year one. There are people going out there saying they think Florida is a College Football Playoff darker, dark horse. I think at this team's ceiling, Florida could knock on the door of the College Football Playoff. I think everything would have to click, though, right? Whoever they select at quarterback's got to be a dude, whether it's Philo or Tramell Jones Jr. You got to be a dude. You can't just be good. You got to be elite, right? The secondary's got to step up. I think the front seven is plenty good enough. I mean, Florida's scary on the defensive front, guys. They are scary. This is one of the best defensive fronts. You could argue in the sec. This team is loaded with talent. So can you get the quarterback figured out? If you do that, the offensive line's got to hold up there into the bargain. But, guys, you get the quarterback figured out and you build some early momentum, I think the sky's the limit for you. I think anything less than making a bowl game, I don't care if it's year one. And I'm not saying that John Somer all will be canned, but, like, I think that's unacceptable. I think the floor for this team should be 6 and 6. And if you go 6 and 6 again, how does it look? The things that cost you, can they be corrected? You know, was it six losses against very good teams? Like, did you take Texas to the wire and Georgia to the wire and Oklahoma to the wire and Ole Miss and. Or did you get blown out? Did it look sloppy? Did it look ugly? Did John Sumrall look like he's in over his head? There's so much context to it that I think matters. But a new era is upon us for Florida Gators football. I think there should be a lot of excitement. I think there should be a lot of energy and I can't wait to watch it because I know one thing. John Sumrall, with the way he is, he is going to be a human highlight reel on a weekly basis with some of the things I'm sure he's going to say, whether it be in his press conferences, his post games. And I do think Florida is a team. I would not pick them today. Admittedly, as of today. This could change probably today. I wouldn't say college Football playoff lock by any means, but I don't think that's the Year one expectations either. Get to seven and five, get to eight and four. Hey, beat one of your rivals and I'm not counting Florida State because Florida State's terrible. Can you beat a Georgia, right? Can you beat a Texas again? I think if you can do that, have a winning record and lay the foundation for what's to come, I think that's what this year is about. But it's hard to not look at this roster and fall in love with what you got. Arguably the SEC's best running back, maybe the SEC's best wide receiver, one of the best wide receiver rooms, an elite front seven, it feels like. I mean, why can't Florida go nine and three and knock on the door of the playoff? I think that's a valid question and I think that John Somers in a great position to maybe do just that. But guys, would love to hear your thoughts. The Florida Gators. That is our season preview for Florida. Excited to watch the Gators in 2026. What are your thoughts? What are your expectations? What is your breakdown and analysis and predictions? What's to come for Florida this upcoming season? Sam.