While not all of the voids have been filled yet, most schools have found their new skippers and are ready to move forward in preparation for the 2026 campaign. At this juncture, it seems prudent to review the moves so far, allowing everyone to start looking ahead to the future.<\/p>\n
Among those who have evaluated the head coaching hiring cycle in 2025 is The Athletic’s Chris Vannini, who recently offered his grades<\/a> for the current carousel. Here is a look at what he had to say.<\/p>\n What The Athletic says bout Florida’s hire of Sumrall<\/p>\n “Sumrall has been a head coach for four years across Troy and Tulane and has reached the conference championship game in all four years. This year\u2019s Tulane team will play for a College Football Playoff spot against North Texas on Friday,” Vannini begins.<\/p>\n Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n “Sumrall took over a Troy team coming off three consecutive 5-7 seasons and went 23-4 with two Sun Belt championships. He took over a successful Tulane program when Willie Fritz left the Green Wave for Houston, but he had to rebuild the roster in his first season, then had to deal with the loss of star quarterback Darian Mensah and running back Makhi Hughes to Power 4 programs for Year 2,” he continues.<\/p>\n “Sumrall is very good with roster management and logistics, and he brings SEC experience as a former Kentucky and Ole Miss assistant (and Kentucky<\/a> player). But he has also coached at programs with more resources than many of their peers. Florida will have more competition.<\/p>\n “Sumrall will also have to adjust to recruiting and roster building at a Power 4 level. Florida fans are upset they didn\u2019t get Lane Kiffin, but comparing Sumrall to Billy Napier as a fellow Louisiana Group of 5 coach would be unwise, because they\u2019re very different coaches.”<\/p>\n All in all, it appears that Vannini is feeling pretty bullish on the Orange and Blue’s hire, even if it was not the splashy move that bringing Kiffin to Gainesville would have represented.<\/p>\n What about Billy Napier and James Madison?<\/p>\n While the Gators brought in their new head coach from the Group of Five, their former skipper, Billy Napier, headed back to the group \u2014 and the Sun Belt Conference as well \u2014 by accepting James Madison’s offer on Dec. 4. JMU’s decision to bring in the failed Florida coach earned a solid “B” grade from Vannini.<\/p>\n “On one hand, Napier went 33-5 in his last three years at Louisiana, including a 24-3 record against Sun Belt competition. JMU officials liked that, per sources. On the other hand, Napier looked like he was in over his head at Florida, with three losing seasons in four years,” he offers.<\/p>\n “The track record of former Power 4 head coaches immediately coming back to the Group of 5 level is mixed, but maybe Napier\u2019s talents are just better suited for Group of 5 life. JMU\u2019s last three hires were all sitting FCS head coaches, and each won more than 70 percent of his games,” Vannini continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n “This is a bit of a new direction, a sign of a program with real CFP chances looking to take that next step forward. Expectations are high here, and the resources are there to match. We\u2019ll see if Napier learned from his Florida mistakes.”<\/p>\n Follow us\u00a0@GatorsWire<\/a>\u00a0on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky<\/a>, and like our page on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators<\/a> news, notes and opinions.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765078096_101_87558834007-usatsi-27717542.jpg\")
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