GAINESVILLE, Fla.– Jon Sumrall was mostly pleased with how the Florida Gators performed in Saturday’s spring game. It also left him hungrier for more.

The first-year head coach, with public goals to win early and often and known for his no-nonsense approach on and off the field, reiterated those goals in his post-game press conference. He also emphasized how much he hates “casual behavior” and that Florida cannot afford to become complacent despite a good spring camp.

“We’re gonna wake up tomorrow, and we’ve got to get our ass back to work because spring practice may be over, but us getting better so we can try to win football games here is far from over,” he said.

Over the course of Florida’s 12-practice, two-scrimmage and one-game spring camp, Sumrall has detailed his roster-specific goals to build more competitive depth, have vocal leaders emerge and self-accountability stand out. He is also looking for starters to separate themselves at multiple positions on the offensive side of the ball.

None of that matters, though, if Florida does not develop a winning mindset and overall toughness. Sumrall has seen it grow since the offseason Gauntlet workout program and throughout spring camp

“I think the guys embraced the way we want to play the game, which is with an edge, a chip on your shoulder, blue-collar mindset. That travels,” he said. “In this league, if you don’t have it, it gets exposed really fast.”

Specific to the spring game itself, Sumrall said quarterbacks Tramell Jones Jr. and Aaron Philo “did some good things,” before praising receiver Micah Mays Jr. for flashing throughout camp, the defensive line for setting the tone at the line of scrimmage. There’s still question marks that cause hesitation, such as the offensive line, which has undergone constant reshuffling in spring camp.

“Those guys have to have a freaking great summer or we got no chance. 
Like, no chance,” Sumrall said. “I think we have a chance. We got guys in that room that can do it, but there’s gotta be a lot of growth that continues to happen. 
And they will. It’s gonna happen. But we’re nowhere near settled in that room.”

Adding to his goals with the roster, though, is the pressure from the fanbase, hungry for success after four losing seasons in five years. Some would shy away from it. Sumrall understands it and, more importantly, embraces it. In his Dec. 1 introductory press conference, Sumrall did not shy away from the Lane Kiffin jokes or that he knew he was not the most popular pick for the job.

He knew what the expectations were. It’s why he felt he was the right guy for the job.

To his credit, Sumrall has simply been himself and has begun to win over the fanbase despite the intial reservation to his hiring. Florida’s spring game had over 47,000 fans in attendance. Sumrall did not want that to go unnoticed.

“This is a special place,” he said. “You can tell when you pull over to the Gator Walk today, and there’s a decent number of people here at 9 in the morning for a noon kick that are ready to see these guys play. The turnout and the crowd were great. Very pleased with the support we’ve had here.

“This fan base is passionate. Championships are the standard and expectation. We’ve got to get it back there. We’ve got to wake this beast up.”

Will Sumrall win at Florida? That remains to be seen. Will he join a string of recent head coaches with lofty expectations that ultimately fell short? That also remains to be seen. To his credit, he is winning his first offseason as the program heads into the summer. While he still believes Florida is far from where he wants it, he sees what the program can be moving forward.

“This is a sleeping giant,” Sumrall said. “I’m telling you right now, it ain’t a matter of if we’re gonna win here. It’s how fast we’re gonna win. It’s coming.”

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