Wait so ESPN is out here ranking every Power 4 team's offseason and I already know what the Florida Gators grade is gonna look like. Probably a C+ or B- because they're gonna look at the portal haul and say we didn't land enough splashy names. But here's what the national guys keep missing about the Sumrall hire. Tulane's defense under him ranked top 20 in havoc rate two years running and he did that with two-star recruits and G5 athletes. Now give him Florida's resources and the 13th ranked 2026 recruiting class and tell me that same scheme doesn't translate.
The real story is the defensive staff Sumrall put together. That's the part the offseason rankings never capture. Florida went from dead last in the SEC in sacks per game at 1.38 to bringing in a head coach whose Tulane defenses generated consistent pressure without blitzing. The offensive line rebuild through the portal got overshadowed but that unit gave up 34 sacks last season. That number has to drop to 22 or fewer for this offense to function.
I do not care what grade ESPN slaps on the offseason. The Gators turnover margin was minus 6 last year which ranked 103rd nationally. Sumrall's teams at Tulane were plus 8 in turnover margin over his two seasons. That alone flips three games on the schedule. The foundation is there. The portal class was about fit not flash and the recruiting class has actual blue chip talent at positions of need. Let them sleep.