Florida football’s Jon Sumrall downplays viral moment with reporter appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Florida football is entering a new era under head coach Jon Sumrall. After being stuck in the wilderness with coaching miss after coaching miss over the last half decade since Dan Mullen’s departure, the Gators are hoping that the former Tulane head coach is the man for the job.
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On Wednesday, Sumrall got to be in front of the microphone for his first SEC Media Day. During his press conference, a reporter’s phone went off, prompting Sumrall to go on a little mini-rant.
“You would be kicked out of our team meeting. I swear,” Sumrall (playfully?) berated the reporter. “You’re lucky I’m not gonna throw this freaking podium right now. That drives me crazy.”
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When the clip first surfaced, fans weren’t sure what to think of it. Of course, Sumrall hasn’t been a public figure in the sport outside of the true diehards.
After the interaction went viral, longtime college basketball Tom Crean went at Sumrall on social media.
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“He can’t be serious on embarrassing that person,” Crean wrote. “Do you think they meant for the Phone to go off ? Did it really need that performative reaction ? At least you got laughs at that persons expense. They DON’T work for you or play for you. Their job is important to them too!!”
Sumrall calmly responded, citing that he was just kidding around.
“You are right Tom,” Sumrall wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I wasn’t serious. I was joking.”
While Sumrall may have been joking, this interaction rubbed some fans the wrong way. Some Gators fans might not be willing to give him such a long leash if he doesn’t get off to a hot start in his first season in Gainesville.
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Florida fans should be encouraged by Sumrall’s track record. He has coached a very successful Tulane program over the last few years and led the Green Wave to the College Football Playoff in 2025. He will have even more resources to recruit at Florida, so if he can quickly coach up his roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Gators back in the hunt for SEC titles.
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