If anyone was worried about a lack of personality from SEC coaches this coming season, their fears were likely quelled during SEC Media Days this week.
The conference is chock full of “colorful” characters, from Lane Kiffin’s hot yoga and social media trolling to guys like Kirby Smart and Pete Golding needing their own personal “beep” button.
One man who is new to the mix, at least in the SEC, is Florida head coach Jon Sumrall, and Wednesday was his chance to make a great first impression on some of the fans and media members who weren’t familiar with his game.
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Sumrall certainly made a splash, but when a reporter’s cell phone ringer went off during his time at the podium, the 44-year-old let everyone in the room know his stance on the matter.
This was met with some rather harsh criticism for the SEC debutant, with many accusing Sumrall of putting on a “fake tough guy act” and lambasting him for calling the reporter out.
Even former Indiana and Georgia head men’s basketball coach Tom Crean got in on criticizing Sumrall, perhaps thinking he was still in Athens and needing to drum up some rivalry-driven headlines.
Seeing some people lose their minds over something that’s clearly a joke has been rather entertaining, and I’m sure Sumrall and the reporter had a good laugh about it afterwards, too.
You want to know how I figured out it was a joke (aside from the obvious fact that a coach wouldn’t actually throw a podium at a reporter)?
Because Sumrall himself said it when addressing Crean on social media later in the evening on Wednesday.
The funniest part about all of this is that people think this is some manufactured act from Sumrall.
For obvious reasons, I’ve dug pretty deep into Sumrall’s past as a coach, and the guy is as authentic as they come.
He’s been this way the whole time, from his days as an assistant at the University of San Diego to his years as a head coach at the Group of Five level of football and now at Florida.
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If you think this is some new act, you clearly haven’t been paying attention.
The man skipped out on an anniversary trip to Italy to grind some extra hours of film and get some lifts in with the defense.
Sumrall is intense, likely stemming from his time as an SEC linebacker at Kentucky.
You have to be a certain kind of crazy to want to stick your facemask into a pile of bodies for 60 minutes, and Sumrall carries that mentality with him as a head coach.
His players love playing for him and the fans certainly appreciate both his authenticity as well as his crazy streak.
One high-level Florida booster I spoke to has been over the moon with the hire after getting to know Sumrall.
“I hung out with (Sumrall) on vacation in Destin on the 4th,” he told OutKick. “Can confirm, what you see is what you get. He’s a fantastic guy; dude’s a different breed and I freakin’ love it.”
I can assure you he’s not alone, either.
Games still need to be played, but after having a wet blanket like Billy Napier as their head coach for four years, Florida fans are ready to welcome a psycho like Sumrall to The Swamp with open arms.
If he fails to bring the Gators back to their glory years of the Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier eras, the fans will likely sour on him. That’s just the way things go.
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But, with the way Sumrall is wired and based on comments he’s made in the past, he will likely be even more torn up about it than most Gator fans will.
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