Can’t Awake From This Nightmare (Thoughts on Jon Sumrall)

[DRU2012]

Here it is.
The same bad dream, beginning all over again…
What do they say about repeating the same action expecting a different result each time being the definition of “insanity”?
Welcome to our crazy nightmare!
Another coach out of the Louisiana bush leagues is (as I type this here) being introduced as the next Coach of the Florida Gators.
Only the name has changed from last time:
THIS stiff is named Sumrall, and once again we are giving over boatloads of cash in order to watch a dilettante flounder trying to “learn on the job” in the SEC!
I wish I were wrong, but I am fairly certain I am not.
Regardless, burned so often AND having gone through this painful process of NOT getting the guy WE KNEW FIT OUR PROGRAM ALL ALONG, at this point long battered and abused Gator fans can no longer AFFORD “false hope”.
“Cynical realism” is the only safe option until something dramatically changes the picture. Something along the lines of
THE SKY OPENS:
SOMETHING MIRACULOUS OCCURS THAT CANNOT BE DENIED IN ITS WHOLESALE RECONSTRUCTION OF REALITY.
I don’t think this qualifies.
Not so far.
THIS is more “the same old thing”. We’ve had a LOT of that: We know it when we SEE it, right?
(Old army saying:
“Don’t piss on me and tell me it’s raining.”)
We’ve had a lot of THAT too.
I am tired, my friends.
I may be at the end of my trek on THIS path.
At the very least, there’s a fork ahead, and I won’t, CAN’T take the one back around and through the same slow sad scenery AGAIN.
So let’s just say that whatever choice is made, MY participation is conditional:
Still up for “all kinds of weather”, but NOT an “endless repeat of half-assed mediocrity”!
If THAT is what they are intent on trying to repackage and resell, they can find another sucker. I CARE TOO MUCH to ignore all this.
It is time to GET ANGRY, my fellows! Time for Gators EVERYWHERE to stand up and unite loudly against everything the current regime shows in everything they do that THEY don’t care—and they THINK WE are all too STUPID to wake up and do a damn thing about ANY OF IT.
WE need to begin thinking in terms of TURNING OUT the corporate idiots (like Stricklin), themselves “hired hands” who NEVER understood what it is, what it truly MEANS to be a GATOR.
Move them out and replace them with those that DO—people who UNDERSTAND all the positive benefits of how the success of Gator Football radiates OUTWARD, throughout every nook and cranny of every aspect of Gator Nation—NOT just “on the field”, NOT just “on campus”, NOT just regionally around Gainesville or Northern Florida or the SEC, but EVERYWHERE GATORS ARE!
Get THOSE people making the big decisions and the rest will follow: We will find our next “legendary Coach”—and along the way ENJOY THE RIDE in getting back to the TOP!
Until then, we are just slogging in circles through the same old muck…I’ll be waitin’ for y’all on the other side, where the OTHER path leads.

 

[Leakfan12]

I don't know where to gage with the new guy. I wished they got someone not from a G5 school though Meyer came out a G5 school (Utah wasn't in a major conference yet) or at least got Golesh because he recruited Florida. Maybe he could work out. Also, good luck having the Governor up your @$$ Lane. Also, LSU didn't learn s--t if it's true of them giving Kiffin a 7 year 84 million deal.

 

[Escambia94]

Sumrall’s appointment as the 31st head coach of the Florida Gators, announced on November 30, 2025, aligns well with the program’s need for a culture of accountability, rapid program rebuilding, and sustained competitiveness in the SEC. His proven ability to engineer immediate turnarounds at Troy and Tulane—transforming both into conference contenders with limited resources—positions him effectively to address Florida’s 15 years of mediocrity, marked by four losing seasons in five years and a 4–8 finish in 2025. Sumrall’s SEC pedigree, including his playing and coaching experience at Kentucky and Ole Miss, equips him to navigate the conference’s recruiting demands and physicality, while his emphasis on toughness, energy, and player development fosters the high-accountability environment essential for a talent-rich program like Florida.

Sumrall and his predecessor, Billy Napier, share superficial parallels that have drawn scrutiny from Gators stakeholders, yet substantive differences underscore Sumrall’s potential for greater success. Both ascended from Group of 5 programs in Louisiana—Napier from Louisiana (40–12 record) to Florida in 2022, and Sumrall from Tulane to Florida in 2025—with comparable head coaching marks (Napier 40–12 overall; Sumrall 42–11) and conference dominance (Napier 27–5 in the Sun Belt; Sumrall 27–4 across Sun Belt and AAC). Both have excelled in one-score games (Napier 16–3; Sumrall 15–3), often relying on ball-control offenses and stout defenses rather than explosive scoring. These similarities fuel concerns that Sumrall represents “Napier 2.0,” particularly given Napier’s 22–23 record at Florida—the worst four-year mark for a Gators coach in 75 years (excluding interims)—marked by inconsistent SEC results (12–16) and failure to restore championship contention.

However, positive distinctions favor Sumrall. His defenses have consistently ranked among the nation’s elite (e.g., top in their leagues at Troy and Tulane, allowing 19.4 points per game on average), providing a foundation for SEC physicality that Napier’s units lacked amid frequent staff turnover and schematic rigidity. Sumrall’s intense, “psychopathic” leadership style—characterized by relentless competitiveness and adaptability—contrasts sharply with Napier’s more reserved, mild-mannered demeanor, which struggled to inspire amid mounting pressure. Unlike Napier, who faltered in transitioning his Louisiana staff to the Power 5 level, Sumrall has demonstrated flexibility in coordinator hires and scheme evolution, including a stated intent for a fast-paced, explosive offense at Florida.

Sumrall’s trajectory at Florida holds substantial promise for revitalizing a program steeped in tradition yet adrift for over a decade, with his six-year, $44.7 million contract—including $7.5 million annually and playoff-linked incentives—affording the stability to execute a comprehensive rebuild. This is one bonus of avoiding a Jimmy Sexton client.

Endorsements from figures like Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, and Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen affirm his relational prowess in recruiting and development, positioning him to restore Florida’s status as a national powerhouse and deliver the playoff berths the program demands.

All that to say, at this time I am not excited about Sumrall but I do see some glimmers of hope.

 

[DRU2012]

I don't know where to gage with the new guy. I wished they got someone not from a G5 school though Meyer came out a G5 school (Utah wasn't in a major conference yet) or at least got Golesh because he recruited Florida. Maybe he could work out. Also, good luck having the Governor up your @$$ Lane. Also, LSU didn't learn s--t if it's true of them giving Kiffin a 7 year 84 million deal.

While everything you say is valid truth, Lf, from what I gather the overall situation is even WORSE THAN YOU THINK:
Let's start with what is already leaking out about
the deal Kiffen was handed by LSU. It is likely somewhat further south of that number you quoted--closer to $100 mil, not including the still yup (and apparently GOT). More than 25 mil, talk fading out around 40...One can expect that alone to at some point provide the "point of ENTRY" for the very trip up Lane's butt by La.'s governor you forecast.
No doubt it was the very mounting mentions of these later numbers, rather ' any "erratic communication", that spooked Stricklin and his bean-counter buddies, sent then RUNNING for cover and invented excuses that made it SOUND like "HE was dropping US!" rather than the other way around.
Again and again, last season with Napier, subsequently with the Kiffen pursuit, AND NOW, with our now "having to move ON", we have been "misLED" (ie. LIED to) repeatedly.
I have outlined it elsewhere here in detail as it occurred--am far from alone in doing so.
And in the middle of it all WE GAVE HIM A CONTRACT EXTENSION!
We offered Sumrall roughly half what Lane is now signed to with LSU--nowhere NEAR the guaranteed 7-year length-of-contract, but add in a host of additional contractual "inducements" (rewards based on team performance and resulting success) and he'll now be among the highest paid coaches in college football...BUT:
It is time to expect a RETURN on our investment!
In addition, though NOT unlimited, I gather the NIL fund has also been explicitly expanded.
No excuses: This "up'n'comer" SHOULD have all he needs to "hit the ground running".
Now, this ISN'T who or WHAT we wanted...
NOT AT ALL what was specifically PROMISED
(THAT can be broken down, point-by-POINT)
HOWEVER, it's what fate and circumstance has determined to be our undeniable "current reality"." "Play the ball where it lays."
We'll get a better look at EVERYTHING, a clear picture of what's ahead with the next few moves that are made:
Who will our OC be? What kind of offense will he run? How imaginative is he in that regard?
How many of the current underclassmen will we keep? How much of the RECRUI TING CLASS will be retained (and/or will WANT to STAY?)?
One encouraging positive right up top:
Despite all the.public noise, much of it admittedly negative, and even though this guy had other, much more publicly supportive suitors,
HE CHOSE US.
That counts for something.
In fact, among us emotional and empathic Gator fans, it tends to count for a LOT.
SO...Here we go.

 

[Escambia94]

I hear you, but at the same time, I am glad that Florida is not stuck with yet another 7-year contract without any incentives or disincentives--a hallmark of any Jimmy Sexton contract. If we are going to cycle through coaches every 4 years, let's stop with the contracts that do not incentivize demonstrable success within those 4 years--and I do not mean winning a bowl game to justify an extension. Any Sexton contract guarantees the coach $40M win or lose. Lane Kiffin is guaranteed $73M win or lose, or the full $91M if he wins and achieves playoff incentives. Florida can afford to pay that, but has decided that paying three coaches (Mullen, Napier, and Kiffin) a total of $105M between now and 2029 was a bad investment. With Sumrall in the mix, the total outlay for coaches will be $72M, which leaves room to shift dollars to NIL and revenue sharing. Kiffin was adamant that the school hiring him spend well above the revenue sharing on football. LSU will spend 85% of revenue sharing on football to Florida's 75%, resulting in about $4M extra NIL/revenue sharing dollars to LSU football compared to Florida football. However, Florida fans can close that gap by donating more to Florida Victorious. Florida has nearly twice the alumni network (450k vs 240k), 4X the total endowment across academics and athletics ($3.5B vs $850M), same revenue amount ($200M). All that to say: Florida missed on Kiffin because Kiffin wanted to put all the eggs into the football basket while neglecting the basketball, baseball, women's sports, Olympic sports, etc. Sumrall was the best coach available willing to work with Florida.

 

[DRU2012]

I hear you, but at the same time, I am glad that Florida is not stuck with yet another 7-year contract without any incentives or disincentives--a hallmark of any Jimmy Sexton contract. If we are going to cycle through coaches every 4 years, let's stop with the contracts that do not incentivize demonstrable success within those 4 years--and I do not mean winning a bowl game to justify an extension. Any Sexton contract guarantees the coach $40M win or lose. Lane Kiffin is guaranteed $73M win or lose, or the full $91M if he wins and achieves playoff incentives. Florida can afford to pay that, but has decided that paying three coaches (Mullen, Napier, and Kiffin) a total of $105M between now and 2029 was a bad investment. With Sumrall in the mix, the total outlay for coaches will be $72M, which leaves room to shift dollars to NIL and revenue sharing. Kiffin was adamant that the school hiring him spend well above the revenue sharing on football. LSU will spend 85% of revenue sharing on football to Florida's 75%, resulting in about $4M extra NIL/revenue sharing dollars to LSU football compared to Florida football. However, Florida fans can close that gap by donating more to Florida Victorious. Florida has nearly twice the alumni network (450k vs 240k), 4X the total endowment across academics and athletics ($3.5B vs $850M), same revenue amount ($200M). All that to say: Florida missed on Kiffin because Kiffin wanted to put all the eggs into the football basket while neglecting the basketball, baseball, women's sports, Olympic sports, etc. Sumrall was the best coach available willing to work with Florida.

OK—but that wasn’t the reason Kiffen changed course literally “in the final hours”. That conclusion is no longer based solely on what my “insider”-connection told me “off the record/not for publication”:
He now alerts me and everyone to “commend your attention to” today’s entry on “Only Gators”
(@onlygators.com), where a supposed factual “blow-by-blow” description of the sequence of events where it was NOT NEARLY so much a matter of “financial differences” as “weird vibes from Scott Sticklin”. These happened to coincide with Saban’s advice he consider LSU, the two together taking all the momentum that had him fully headed towards signing the Florida contract suddenly and quickly turning
him to more seriously consider LSU.
Now, I won’t deny that there have certainly been elements of this whole head-shaking mess since that to an undeniable degree have made even those of us who most WANTED him by now wonder what kind of man Lane Kiffen really IS…After everything, ya gotta wonder: How much has he really “changed”? When it comes right down TO it, does he EVER really care about ANYONE but Lane Kiffen?
“The devil is in the details”—those “details” are already starting fires, and MAN, MORE will likely get burned in the future!
As for all the talk surrounding Coach Sumrall now, the predictably positive revisionist self-congratulatory claims from within the very group who managed and BROUGHT us this outcome, how reliably “trustworthy” is any of THAT?How much, if any, can we AFFORD to buy into?
Sure, we gotta deal with reality, with things as they REALLY ARE NOW.
But BEFORE I turn to trying to see the POSITIVES of a situation we in truth were handed IN SPITE OF our preferences and any number of previous promises made, I suppose I require ONE MAJOR NEGATIVE BE ADDRESSED:
Scott Stricklin MUST BE FIRED.

Period.
THEN I will turn to focus on everything falling under the category,
“Let’s see what happens NEXT!”

 

[DRU2012]

(Still, the practical details—especially the financial ones— you get into are valid and important ones that ARE “positive” and worth noting, but as I say, I MUST at least PROPOSE we somehow address that big fat pile of doo doo there in front of us FIRST.
I just do not see how ANYTHING can be substantially changed until he is GONE.)

 

[Escambia94]

By "weird vibes" you mean "Lane Kiffin was not getting along with his potential BOSS and was trying to dictate terms". I was also frustrated that communication broke down late in the process when Florida was the clear front-runner until last week.

The OnlyGators blow-by-blow is just as speculative as anything on On3 or Reddit, since nobody from those platforms was in the actual meetings between Stricklin and Kiffin. What we do know based on evidence is that Kiffin wanted more control over the roster management and the money allocation than Stricklin, UAA, and the boosters were comfortable with--especially with the impending announcement of an NFL-style General Manager named Dave Caldwell. Caldwell was recommended by Gator alumnus Howie Roseman, who is the Executive GP of the Philadelphia Eagles. Roseman, Caldwell, Stricklin, UAA, and the boosters were not going to hand over those GM duties to Kiffin, and I do not blame them for taking that position.

Stricklin is still one of the top 3 athletic directors in the country. All this talk about having him fired over this that and the other is baseless. Now, is Stricklin one of the top 3 ADs in making investors happy? Actually, yes. Gator fans honestly have no room to talk without putting their money where their social media mouths are. Initially I was upset that Gary Condron convinced Scott Stricklin to shift from Kiffin to Sumrall, but then I realized that Kiffin's behavior was causing doubt in the investors of the program--the ones who fund Gator athletics. Gary Condron, Hugh Hathcock, Jose Costa, Mori Hosseini, and others invest $14M of the $16M NIL alone, so they get a vote. Those big name investors spend more money on Gator sports than all of Mississippi State, Missouri, Vanderbilt, half of the P4 teams, and any G5 team! They trust Stricklin. We the poor fans complaining on social media are not pulling our fair share, honestly. LSU got a bump in investment because their fans invest more in NIL per capita than Gators. And that is Stricklin's fault somehow? He stated himself that with one of the largest donor bases in the country, there is no excuse for Florida to not be in the top 5 for NIL (plus revenue sharing, which is largely leveled at 75% of ~$20M for football).

 

[DRU2012]

I understand and appreciate everything you lay out there, E—, point by point…BUT:
Kiffen now SAYS Florida was way out front, even after LSU jumped in—until he met with Stricklin!
Similarly, a lot of folks' "alternative"/"Plan B" (including mine), Lincoln Riley's reps are now claiming THEY went to Florida with his interest in being considered for the Gator Head Coaching position--and were flat out rejected: Stricklin himself refused to even consider him or discuss the matter, so intent was he on getting Sumrall. Despite the promises and bs claims ("We're going to get an offense-minded G-5 Coach with a proven track record of success in a major conference..." --Scott Stricklin, announcing Billy Napier's firing), Stricklin maneuvered around and past all of Gator Nation--and once again went for, and GOT, what HE wanted!
Now, I like what Sumrall had to say at his intro presser, and as we truly awaken from the “trance/dream/nightmare” (Choose One) it does feel as if the luster has finally begun to come off the whole “Lane Train” thing.
Deservedly so, based on how “the old Lane” has continued to resurface in such accelerated fashion down the stretch.
But I am damn sick of an AD who (whether overseeing stadium renovations or deciding whom HE wants and proceeds in THAT endeavor), ignores promises and the near-unanimous will of Gator Nation in pursuing this most momentous of program hires, and in so doing caters totally to the privileged FEW…Again: certain promises were made, even SWORN to—best summarized by (headlined in BOLD PRINT publicly in a properly PR version of) “KIFFEN OR BUST”!
But that’s yesterday’s news. What actually HAPPENS from here is all that matters for most fans.
Kiffen is someone ELSE’s problem now. The pain, while still there, is fading, slowly being displaced by a refocus on the reading of further developments with respect to our new Coach, Jon Sumrall.
We’ve got a new GM now too, Caldwell, over from the NFL—hopefully he will take some of the organizational burden from our Coach, and act as a certain buffer from Stricklin as well.
There's a whole lot of important work, a ton of huge decisions ahead. But Stricklin is still there. THAT’S the problem that must somehow be addressed. I don’t particularly care to enter into THAT discussion here and now, but it will continue to bite us until he is finally GONE.
Gone for good.

 

[DRU2012]

I feel that it must be faced squarely:
No matter HOW it happened, no matter who said or did what, or when they said or did it: Scott Stricklin whiffed.
Worse, he INTENDED to do so.
He BLEW it—AGAIN…and all of Gator Nation continues to pay for his lies and general incompetence.
The underlying health of the Gator Football Program has not just been called into question. It has been unmasked as completely dysfunctional.
That recent contract extension is the poison cherry on the top of the rotten wedding cake.
I admittedly know little of the details, nor how or why it was offered, and I certainly have little insight into the legalities of how we extricate ourselves.
But the man must go.
All that just happened amounts to a collection of the latest further symptoms of having this cancerous personality at the center of EVERYTHING WE ARE TRYING TO DO here at UF!
I think a lot of Gators, if they even thought this far ahead, had some idea that Lane Kiffen MIGHT just win a Natty or two here at UF—then promptly jump to the NEXT big prize, grab the “next shiny bauble”: a major NFL HEAD COACHING JOB, if offered (as it likely would be) on the heels of that sort of high-profile college success. It is the one thing all his heroes and mentors COULDN’T ultimately make happen.
And most of us were OKAY with that! Give us a few seasons of glory, “Put us back at the top where we belong!”, and FINE:
“Go do your ‘Lane Kiffen’-thing.”
As for the guy we got:
Jon Sumrall chose US.
That is no small thing, at this point. That, and saying all the right things about our “shared passion”, “keeping the talent already here”, the expectation of “WINNING NOW” and doing it with “EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE”, yep, it ticked all the right boxes (AND was what we needed to hear).
But now he’s gotta go out and GET IT DONE.
Not “eventually”, but NOW:
Starting tomorrow, basically.
LITERALLY.
I don’t know if he can or will, but after the long slide post-Meyer, building to what turned out to be this regime’s recent LETDOWN OF ALL LETDOWNS, he isn’t going to GET much in the way of a “grace period”.
Not his fault, but there it IS.
Sigh…I WANT to get excited.
I WANT to believe him.
I WANT IT TO BE FUN AGAIN.
But I’m sorry: That currency has not just been long spent:
THEY PRINTED TOO MUCH “FUNNY MONEY” FOR TOO LONG, and hyperinflation has rendered ALL “BIG TALK” virtually worthless.
Hope y’all will forgive me for stretching the mixed metaphors, but it was the best I could do in describing where I’m at and how I got here.
Hopefully I still made my point fairly clearly.
“SHOW US!”
Start lining up the ducks, then PROVE IT ON THE FIELD!
Cliches and dubious metaphors is what I’m stuck with, all I got left.
But now, as the FACTS are finally beginning to emerge, let me try to spell it out in clear terms:
Stricklin, despite his promises and clear statements as to the search’s intent, is the one who talked a couple of nervous boosters into quietly joining HIM in “going rogue”, turning away from Kiffen as our main target and switching to Sumrall; this was several days BEFORE what we were hearing, all the talk about Lane being “as good as signed on” (he WAS, at one point)…Make no mistake—This was also DESPITE Turnkey’s recommendations. THEY had assured their clients (US, the Gators “braintrust”, so they thought), who had hired them for a lot of money, that Lane was ready to sign with us, though there were some conditions that though they understood we could and might well be willing to pay for, these also involved surrendering a certain amount of the kind of control such individuals who hired them in their experience were reticent to give up. With that in mind, they suggested an alternative, a backup recommendation:
Lincoln Riley. HE was their “strong Plan B”.
But Stricklin ignored them, on BOTH counts. Meanwhile, Riley’s agent (himself a former Gator player), by this point having expected to hear something further after earlier “feelers” from Turnkey and with Riley HIMSELF interested in talking to us, tried contacting Stricklin directly—who in turn effectively refused to take his call! This was when we the fans were still hearing “nothing but HAPPY NEWS”—BEFORE the sudden turn a day or two later…but by that point clearly our AD was secretly so focused on getting Sumrall that he was putting all his energies into THAT.
So after having missed the chance LAST year (when he chose to “extend the failure” of the Napier hire another season), we COULD have had Lane THIS time if our duplicitous AD hadn’t been there to block it once again.
Then he blocks out not only many GATORS’ 2nd Choice, but the very guy that our supposed “Search Agency” was recommending as our “best back up plan”.
WHY THE HELL did we even HIRE those folks, anyway?
Just to give Stricklin some cover??!
I’m TELLING y’all: We must have all KINDS of basis for firing him at this point…unless he’s got the same kind of ridiculous “buy-out clause”—like the one HE handed Billy, maybe? Wouldn’t THAT be interesting?
Yeah, a real kick in the GUT!

 

[Escambia94]

Yes. Florida was the leader for weeks, but at the same time we are now learning some more facts about Kiffin that lead many to believe that he is not worth the trouble. Check out X and Instagram to see his sexting messages (sexual text messages, for the Boomers) that are being leaked out by Ole Miss students. It turns out that while Lane Kiffin was trying to get back with his ex-wife (who left him for cheating), he was bagging more Rebels than General Sherman in the Civil War! Throw in his odd behavior these past few weeks and we see that although he has matured since his early days that he is not mature enough to be the head coach at Florida. Sure, he will win a lot of games at LSU, but they have a higher tolerance for shenanigans than Florida.

Florida did not get the coach that they wanted, but they got the coach that they needed.

 

[Escambia94]

I agree. Stricklin whiffed, but at the same time there is a saying, "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers". Lane Kiffin is unraveling in front of our eyes here. Florida does not want drama. The wins would be nice, but at what cost?

 

[DRU2012]

Yes. Florida was the leader for weeks, but at the same time we are now learning some more facts about Kiffin that lead many to believe that he is not worth the trouble. Check out X and Instagram to see his sexting messages (sexual text messages, for the Boomers) that are being leaked out by Ole Miss students. It turns out that while Lane Kiffin was trying to get back with his ex-wife (who left him for cheating), he was bagging more Rebels than General Sherman in the Civil War! Throw in his odd behavior these past few weeks and we see that although he has matured since his early days that he is not mature enough to be the head coach at Florida. Sure, he will win a lot of games at LSU, but they have a higher tolerance for shenanigans than Florida.

Florida did not get the coach that they wanted, but they got the coach that they needed.

I really hope you are right about that last—of COURSE I am hoping that it’s a case of “getting to the right place by the wrong route”!
But there IS an element here of “revisionist convenience” too.
Even WITH the after-the-fact “whispered black marks” there are, as I have related, plenty of parallel transgressions on the part of our AD—ones having a direct effect in relation to football, the job, and the things he was SUPPOSED to be doing on our behalf, and apparently was in fact much of the time was doing just the reverse!
Meanwhile, though I too tend to give some credence to these tales of Lane’s dalliances (more of “the same old Lane”? We sure seem to have witnessed a good bit of THAT lately already!). Even WITHOUT one iota of truth to these latest rumors, there has been enough in the nature of his public behavior and performance leading UP to “The Decision”, AND everything that has occurred since, to arrive at your conclusion ANYWAY.
I have said my piece and am ready to turn the page, begin to move on—basing everything from here forward on WHAT WE ACTUALLY SEE with our own eyes.
However, “good words” and “promising declarations” aren’t gonna count for much after yesterday’s stirring intro presser.

 

[DRU2012]

I agree. Stricklin whiffed, but at the same time there is a saying, "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers". Lane Kiffin is unraveling in front of our eyes here. Florida does not want drama. The wins would be nice, but at what cost?

I am (if admittedly SLOWLY) coming around to the same question (and implied answers).
However, that DOES NOT change Stricklin’s culpability in a host of transgressions and betrayals, a pattern of behavior that demonstrates a complete and ongoing disregard for his job responsibilities—not to mention his loyalty to the students, fans and alumnae of the University of Florida.
Some still say that as long as this hire works out, “All is forgiven!”…I say “NO WAY!!!”
He has already been publicly unmasked for the power-hungry elitist who has repeatedly lied, shown contempt for the faith of those who hired and entrusted him with the responsibilities associated with the job, and over and over ignored his public promises and sworn oaths. I despise the idea that somehow ridding ourselves of this fungus of a personality from our midst should be dependent upon the failure of our new Coach—seemingly a decent, passionate man who CHOSE TO COME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, though he had (if anything, a growing LIST of) suitors lining up to lure him to other schools—including, as it turned out, his alma mater (Kentucky—who hadn’t fired Stoops yet that night, but were clearly leaning that way, which supposedly played a part in Stricklin’s pushing for our moving when we did on the guy he apparently wanted all along).
But again: Even if this turns out to be a fortuitous hire, all the rest cannot be undone or ignored, somehow swept under the rug. He cannot be trusted, and there has already accumulated enough evidence of this and MORE to make our OWN moves:
It is time, long PAST time to FIRE SCOTT STRICKLIN.

 

[DRU2012]

(Oh—and in the new reality of finding ourselves sort of HAVING to find promise and positivity SOMEWHERE, our Roundball team played Number One Duke tonight—and lost, BY ONE POINT.
Not to worry TOO much:
This team IS talented in its own way, and barring injuries its Coach will likely pace their developing strength to be peaking in, oh, about 90 days—like around the first week of MARCH?
(Of course, all that is part of why College FOOTBALL is (or WAS—there is danger ahead in where it appears to be going) so much more excitingly meaningful, with the importance of each and every scheduled in-season GAME.
I wish and HOPE they will refrain from continuing to dilute that distinction.)

 

[DRU2012]

And now the torrent of horse crap begins to flow.
Only fitting that the KING of Horse’s Asses, Paul Finebaum, should start things off, lead the way.
As for “What REALLY happened?”, vs all the excuses and self-serving lies already bursting forth in endlessly irritating headlines functioning only as clickbait rather than “further insight”, well, I’ve said MY piece.
Aside from awaiting news of one overdue case of “AD-removal surgery”, the naming and arrival of one much-anticipated “fully competent OC”, and meanwhile the ongoing gathering (collection and retention) of “on-field talent” (present and future), it’ll all ultimately amount to a deceptively “simple” matter of “stay calm/wait and SEE for the foreseeable”.
I really don’t know WHAT to expect—so am TRYING to “EXPECT” very little.
Turns out that ain’t EASY…
Sort of like “trying to stop thinking”.
I imagine it to be a similar relief, though.
Anyway, the idea here is to TRY and TAKE things in stride.
See you all on the OTHER SIDE!

 

[Escambia94]

We do not know what really happened, but reports are finally coming out that there was a smear campaign against Florida and we all fell for it. The meeting between Stricklin and Kiffin went well. There was no interim contract to secure Kiffin through the playoffs. There was no ultimatum given on either side. There was no Gary Condron interfering with the process. The problem is that the Florida program elected to not waste time stamping out the rumors because they were focused on their process—a process that none of us knew about! It was not Turnkey that vetted the coach and general manager positions, but Turnkey, another firm (I forget the name)…and Danny Wuerffel, Steve Spurrier, and Urban Meyer!

All that to say, I will admit I was upset over bad information. Stricklin did not land the coach that we wanted but he landed the coach that Wuerffel, Spurrier, Meyer, and Stricklin all agreed that we needed!

 

[DRU2012]

Based on everything I have SEEN MYSELF, plus the word of someone I know well who I ALSO know has access and information directly from very close to the heart of “Gator affairs”, I just do not, CAN not trust Scott Stricklin—and I STILL believe we have repeatedly seen enough discrepancies between the man’s statements and promises, and what has indeed ensued, to fire him for cause already.
We KNOW he not only didn’t get the guy we WANTED, the individual he PROMISED to go after, but apparently didn’t even PURSUE the TYPE of Coach he promised to land.
Let me ask you this:
In your heart of hearts, do you think we got the best Coach, that “galvanizing individual” widely longed for? Do YOU truly believe we got what we NEEDED?
Was this the best we could do?
Now Napier is on the short list as the next Coach at Tulane.
I don’t know WHERE to begin in dissecting THAT possible “pending exchange”!
USF just hired the Ohio State OC as THEIR new Head Coach; Don’t tell me we all don’t have trouble shaking the suspicion that even THEY may have made the better deal—gotten the better “Fit at Florida”!
Look, now that the move’s been made, I truly WANT this to work—for us to have somehow gotten to the right place, if by the wrong route:
Maybe we DO end up “winning by accident”.
I am tempted to voice the obvious “HOWEVER” that is hanging there just beyond that last declaration…but I won’t.
I can only hope it won’t BE necessary for all to be reminded of the inescapable consequences should we find ourselves facing all this again in 2 or 3 years.
My MAIN point of course is that no matter what, IMHO we’ve seen ENOUGH already:
We can, and SHOULD,
MAKE THE HARD MOVE NOW.
We won’t, of course—which simply amounts to volunteering for MORE struggle and turmoil ahead.
For now, I turn away from “all that”, fall in behind my team, program, and high profile Gators past and present who support this hire.
For now, I’ll stand with THEM
…and BEHIND Coach Sumrall.
GO GATORS!!!

 

[Escambia94]

Based on everything I have SEEN MYSELF, plus the word of someone I know well who I ALSO know has access and information directly from very close to the heart of “Gator affairs”, I just do not, CAN not trust Scott Stricklin—and I STILL believe we have repeatedly seen enough discrepancies between the man’s statements and promises, and what has indeed ensued, to fire him for cause already.
We KNOW he not only didn’t get the guy we WANTED, the individual he PROMISED to go after, but apparently didn’t even PURSUE the TYPE of Coach he promised to land.
Let me ask you this:
In your heart of hearts, do you think we got the best Coach, that “galvanizing individual” widely longed for? Do YOU truly believe we got what we NEEDED?
Was this the best we could do?
Now Napier is on the short list as the next Coach at Tulane.
I don’t know WHERE to begin in dissecting THAT possible “pending exchange”!
USF just hired the Ohio State OC as THEIR new Head Coach; Don’t tell me we all don’t have trouble shaking the suspicion that even THEY may have made the better deal—gotten the better “Fit at Florida”!
Look, now that the move’s been made, I truly WANT this to work—for us to have somehow gotten to the right place, if by the wrong route:
Maybe we DO end up “winning by accident”.
I am tempted to voice the obvious “HOWEVER” that is hanging there just beyond that last declaration…but I won’t.
I can only hope it won’t BE necessary for all to be reminded of the inescapable consequences should we find ourselves facing all this again in 2 or 3 years.
My MAIN point of course is that no matter what, IMHO we’ve seen ENOUGH already:
We can, and SHOULD,
MAKE THE HARD MOVE NOW.
We won’t, of course—which simply amounts to volunteering for MORE struggle and turmoil ahead.
For now, I turn away from “all that”, fall in behind my team, program, and high profile Gators past and present who support this hire.
For now, I’ll stand with THEM
…and BEHIND Coach Sumrall.
GO GATORS!!!

I can see there is no convincing you, but I guarantee your source is not better than Danny Wuerffel:

 

[DRU2012]

I can see there is no convincing you, but I guarantee your source is not better than Danny Wuerffel:

I have watched Gator Dave’s AND Ali Peak’s interviews with Danny Weurfel on “Gator Breakdown” and “A Peak Inside…”, was impressed, and convinced enough of the sincerity of someone that I too admire, and could not fully square his open declarations with the things I had been told by other “insiders” whom I know personally—to the point that I went back and carefully queried these folks who’d given me these prior impressions.
One thing I had to note was the level of frustrated disappointment there was and still lingers in so much of this.
At a certain point, I can neither explain nor reconcile the complete discrepancy between the versions two different trustworthy individuals recount of what each observed and/or personally experienced.
And on the other hand, there IS a growing feeling that “we were ALL played”, by Kiffen and others (it is important for all of us to bear in mind the role of certain OTHER individuals, the influence of various people close to him, and above all Agent Sexton himself, in clouding virtually every issue in question) during this process.
That said, another common revelation has been the realization that Lane, despite his protestations to the contrary, is the main agent provocateur at the heart of this whole mess—and MAN, it was and IS a “mess”! The best I can still say in his favor at this point is that had we landed him, we would at some point have had to come to terms with the fact that Lane Kiffen WAS and still IS an IDIOT—but he would have been OUR idiot!
I still think that for better or for worse, he would have been (for a time) a great fit here at UF: I think he likely WOULD have brought the kind of success we crave, brought us quickly back to the very center among the elite programs in College Football…
And then would have probably skipped on us, for Bama or some “Big NFL Deal”—And WE were more than ready to take that, make OUR “deal”, even if temporary. Even IF “a deal with the devil”!
All the after-the-fact tales of his supposed extracurricular adventures among “the student body”, whatever their origin, truth or accuracy, may not be particularly admirable, may even violate one’s idea of what is or isn’t acceptable… poor judgment, maybe, but so far as I can see do not cross over into any area of “illegality”…However, there is enough in what we are hearing and seeing now that had long since been seen in the past, suddenly REsurfacing in STRENGTH in his present and recent behavior, enough self-serving discrepancies between what he charmingly claims and what those who were THERE say in fact went down that I, like a lot of others, are beginning to think that maybe we DID “dodge somewhat of a bullet” in NOT landing him.
But NONE of this has really altered my impression of Scott Stricklin, nor (despite the somewhat convincingly sympathetic support now of some I trust and admire) has it erased the history of lies and two-faced hypocrisy that so many inside the program have had to deal with, and have in turn helped to produce the extended period of sinking mediocrity in Gator Football that we have just suffered through—leaving us v Iq a with little but promises to NH carry us forward with any HOPE of “change-for-the-better”. I still believe we’d be better off RID of him—for the sake of the present and future growth of this program…
But regardless, we have who we have in place here and now: This is the hand we’ve been dealt, and we play this game from this point forward.
Now, Jon Sumrall does NOT strike many fans’ idea as anything LIKE “our heart’s delight” coming INTO this process.
But aside from the perceived problem at AD, whether simply the result of misinformation and misunderstanding, or truly an abscess at the heart of our program that must be cut and allowed to heal, it is time to move on—as much as possible let the people now taking direct control of THE PRODUCT ON THE FIELD do their thing; we will judge THEM by RESULTS.
As I said above earlier, in the end I WILL now line up with Weurfel, Spurrier, and even a (reformed and seemingly rejuvenated and redeemed) Urban Meyer—and STAND, AS A GATOR, behind our new Head Coach:
Jon Sumrall.