With every college football offseason comes a head coaching carousel. Programs with massive brands moved on from their former head coaches, including the Florida Gators.
Florida was one of 17 Power Four conference coaching changes and the Southeastern Conference was responsible for six of those 17 teams that pivoted to a new signal caller.
How did the Gators fare in rebuilding their program compared to their peers this offseason? CBS Sports writer David Cobb graded rosters for first-season head coaches.
The Gators landed a B-plus grade and ranked 30th in their transfer class rankings. Other teams to B-plus were UCLA, which hired Bob Chesney, Utah, which hired Morgan Scalley, and Oklahoma State, which hired Eric Morris.
Florida did receive higher grades than its SEC peers, the Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Kentucky Wildcats; however, it did not receive a higher grade than LSU, Auburn or Ole Miss.
Cobb credits Jon Sumrall for retaining key production from this past season, including Jadan Baugh and key contributors on defense, specifically some of their top tackle leaders.
“This isn’t a situation where the Group of Six coach is bringing the cavalry with him to his new stop,” he notes. “While Tulane sent its share of talent from a CFP team onward to the Power Four ranks, you won’t find a surge of Green Wave talent on this roster. Instead, Sumrall devoted resources to retaining key producers from the prior Florida regime, including a 1,100-yard rusher in Jadan Baugh.”
Sumrall also added former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, who brought reinforcements of his own with him. Former Georgia Tech players Aaron Philo and Eric Singleton Jr. followed Faulkner to Florida with hopes of making a bigger impact.
Philo, a former backup quarterback at Georgia Tech, is now in competition to be the starter for the Gators. Eric Singleton Jr. played for Faulkner during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, then transferred to Auburn. Following a down year for him, Singleton Jr. has since returned to play for Faulkner in his final year of eligibility with the Gators
A B-plus may not place Florida among the nation’s offseason top winners, but it reflects a foundation Jon Sumrall has built. With key returners, familiar offensive pieces and a well-respected coaching staff in place, the Gators will have an opportunity to outperform that grade when the 2026 season kicks off.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Here’s how Florida’s roster grades vs other programs with new coaches
