Six SEC programs hauled in new head coaches for the 2026 season. Two of those coaches, Florida‘s Jon Sumrall and LSU‘s Lane Kiffin, come from programs that made the College Football Playoff last season (Tulane and Ole Miss). Sumrall and Kiffin have had a strong relationship for years, which culminated in Sumrall making a joke about the former Ole Miss head coach at his introductory press conference.

“And I do want to be very direct on one thing… Lane Kiffin and I have been going through the same thing and we’ve talked a lot. We were both in agreement that I was the right man for this job,” Sumrall joked. “So, he co-signed on that.”

Sumrall joined On3’s JD PicKell on the latest edition of ‘The Hard Count with JD PicKell’, where he discussed that joke and dove into his relationship with Lane Kiffin and his late father, Monty.

“We didn’t agree that I should take this job, but we did talk,” Sumrall said. “Lane and I have a good relationship. Lots of respect for Lane. He’s had great success, most recently at Ole Miss. He and I have had an open-line of communication for a while. In my first game as a head coach (Troy in 2022), we played at Ole Miss. Monty, postgame, came over and spent some time with me in our locker room and that connection was real for me. I’ve got a ton of respect for Monty’s career, and some of the things he told me that day as a first time head coach made a tremendous impact on me.”

Jon Sumrall and Lane Kiffin will embark on first season with new programs

Jon Sumrall emerged as a strong candidate at Florida due to his strong resume. In four seasons as a college football head coach (two seasons at Troy and two seasons at Tulane), he’s led his teams to a 43-12 record with a College Football Playoff appearance.

“Monty came over and said, ‘look man, you’re doing things the right way. Your team plays with an edge and a toughness. You’ve got something going here,’ Sumrall continued. “Well, that team started 0-1, won our next game against an FCS team, and then lost on a Hail Mary to App State. We started the year 1-2, then won our next 11 games and finished 12-2 ranked 19th in the country at the end of the year. It was the first time Troy finished the year ranked in school history as an FBS team, so that relationship started there.

“Lane and I have a good relationship and an open-line of communication. We talked a handful of times in November. He called me one time and we were just BSing with each other, because we were kind of going through the same thing. Then I was like, wait, no we’re not. You’re at Ole Miss and I’m at Tulane. It’s a little different. But, I have a lot of respect for him and he’s a great football coach. He’s a great dude and has a good sense of humor. I like interacting with him. We did have some discussions. We didn’t decide who should go where. I knew Florida was going to be an opportunity for me, and I decided I want to come here.”

Although both coaches will be embarking on their first season with new programs, they will not face each other in 2026. LSU and Florida will not clash on the gridiron until the 2027 season in Gainesville.