Retaining these 5 starters could be pivotal in Jon Sumrall's debut season at Florida
Jon Sumrall was admittedly frazzled during his first month as Floridas coach.He was still leading Tulane into the College Football Playoff, trying to keep two recruiting classes together, assembling a new staff in Gainesville and working through which Gators to retain for 2026 and which guys to add from the transfer portal.It was a heavy lift, no doubt, and unlike anything he had done previously.One part could ultimately end up being more important than the rest: Retaining five key holdovers from former coach Billy Napiers regime.Sumrall went 5 for 5 in his quest to keep running back Jadan Baugh, receiver Vernell Brown III, linebacker Myles Graham, receiver Dallas Wilson and edge rusher Jayden Woods. The plug-and-play starters who will cost a combined $5.2 million in 2026 should improve Sumralls chances of pulling the Gators out of a five-year funk and returning the once-proud program to some semblance of normalcy.Im grateful those guys stayed, Sumrall said. Those guys give us a shot to have success.Florida will hold its annual spring game Saturday at the Swamp, providing a glimpse of the perceived progress in Gainesville. All eyes will be on a quarterback competition that features former Georgia Tech backup Aaron Philo and sophomore Tramell Jones Jr.Philo has seemingly pulled ahead, no surprise since he spent two years honing offensive coordinator Buster Faulkners scheme at Tech.But the core of Sumralls new team begins with the five guys he persuaded to stay. Some were easier than others:Jadan BaughBaugh never formally entered the transfer portal after rushing for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns, but he nonetheless had offers. He considered following his position coach, Jabbar Juluke, to Texas.But Sumrall swayed him to stay during an in-home visit on Christmas Eve six days after Sumralls dad died and four days after Tulane lost to LSU in the CFP. Sumrall brought his wife, his mom, his kids and his moms dog on the trip to Atlanta and still had to wait weeks for Baugh to re-sign.For him to bring his family to come see me and to say that his dad wanted to be here, that means the most to me because that shows that you really, really care about your job, Baugh said. You really, really care about whats going on with your players that you want.Vernell Brown IIIBrown never seemed to be a legit threat to leave Florida. Hes a triple legacy player, with his father and grandfather having played at Florida. His uncle, like his father, played for Urban Meyer. He also has a cousin (cornerback Vincent Brown Jr.) and a younger brother (freshman offensive lineman Corey Brown) on the team.Vernell Brown finished with 40 catches for 512 yards last season, becoming the first true freshman to lead the team in receptions and receiving yards. He switched from No. 8 to No. 1 this season a path that mirrors what All-American Percy Harvin did with the Gators.Ultimately, Im trying to do what he did and more, Brown said.Myles GrahamGraham was the first of the five to re-sign with Florida. He led the team with 76 tackles as a sophomore and is considered the heart and soul of a defense that should be solid in 2026. Like Brown, Graham also is a legacy player. His father (Earnest) played at Florida and finished his college career with 3,085 yards rushing and 33 touchdowns.Sumrall leaned on Myles Graham to help land the others.He kind of told me that when I signed that he needed me to help recruit and thats what I did, Graham said. I got on the phone with them guys, made sure they were good and just stayed on them until they came back.Dallas WilsonWilson has the most to prove among the five. He was spectacular in his college debut last season, catching six passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Texas. But he missed the majority of the season with foot injuries first his left and then his right. He has done little in spring camp out of an abundance of caution.Florida sent him to Nikes research labs in Oregon during the offseason to be tested and fitted for special shoes that should help.I will say its very futuristic, Wilson said. It was definitely cool seeing all that out there, them working on me and them like being my nurse when I was there and tending to everything I had going on and then just applying it. It was a blessing, I aint going to lie.Jayden WoodsWoods was the last to commit to Sumrall. He entered the portal and even visited Texas. Woods finished his freshman year with 28 tackles, including five for a loss, and really flashed down the stretch. Florida believes he can become the programs best edge rusher since Jonathan Greenard.Sumrall convinced Woods to re-sign during an in-home visit in Shawnee, Kansas.We barely talked about football when they were there, and that was the biggest thing for me, Woods said. Coach Sumrall says my grandpas still sending him pictures of meals hes cooked. Just knowing that it was genuine and it was relationship-driven, that was the biggest piece for me.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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