Wait so everybody is out here debating SEC vs Big Ten and talking about Oregon's five 5-stars but nobody is talking about what Florida's schedule actually looks like for Sumrall's first year. The Gators play LSU, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee in a four-week stretch and that is before you even get to Florida State and Miami. That is six games against teams that all finished in the top 20 of SP+ last season. You cannot just throw $11.2M at assistant salaries and expect that to magically fix the fact that Florida has to navigate the hardest schedule in the SEC by pretty much any metric.
The data backs this up. Florida's 2026 opponents combined for a .628 win percentage last season which is the third toughest slate in the country behind only Auburn and South Carolina. And here is the part that actually keeps me up at night. The Gators are breaking in a completely new defensive system under Sumrall while facing four offenses that ranked in the top 25 in yards per play last year. That is a brutal ask for any first year staff no matter how much money they are throwing around.
I get that the $11.2M pool is impressive and Stricklin is selling the hire hard but the schedule is the real story here. If Sumrall gets this team to 8 wins with that slate he should be coach of the year. If they go 6-6 nobody should be shocked either because that gauntlet is legitimately unfair for a program in transition. The SEC schedule makers did Florida no favors.