After Florida beat Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Week 3, many Tiger fans were angry at AD John Cohen for not being able to land Jon Sumrall during the last coaching cycle and instead hiring Alex Golesh.
Gator fans probably would like to make a coaching trade right about now. For all the things to be mad at Cohen for, not landing Sumrall may not prove to be one of them.
Florida took an embarrassing 38-19 loss to South Carolina at home in Week 6, with three turnovers causing the Gators to fall behind and never come back after the half.
Sumrall at least took credit for the loss in a way that's familiar to Auburn fans in the Golesh era.
"I'm frustrated with every part of what we did today, and it starts with me. I've got to do a better job of getting this team to play to its best," Sumrall said after the game.
It's a laudable position for Sumrall to take. After all, he was institutionally supported with major roster retentions so that the cupboard wasn't as bare in Gainesville as it ended up being on the Plains.
That's the issue with Sumrall, though: he was given the pieces to win and isn't. It was because of the choices his coaching staff made in the portal.
It's the same issue that the Tigers have.
Jon Sumrall's QB decision is all his to own, just like Alex Golesh's
Sumrall chose to hire offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner away from Georgia Tech, which was a package deal with former Yellow Jackets quarterback Aaron Philo. That decision has been his team's undoing over the past two games.
When running back Jadan Baugh isn't rolling, Philo can't win games with his arm. He can keep the offense on schedule, but he can't pull off the spectacular when plays break down.
Handing him the ball is Sumrall's mistake to own. It's not too dissimilar to Golesh bringing over his USF offensive coordinator, Joel Gordon, and Bulls quarterback, Byrum Brown, the latter of whom has eight turnovers in his first four matchups against Power 4 competition.
Brown's issues are tied to an offensive line that has failed him, but he hasn't been perfect at processing reads and making good decisions. Then again, you could say the same thing about Philo and the line in front of him.
Is UF in a better place than AU with Sumrall? It appears they're almost in the same exact spot, just with a head-to-head win on the Gators' resume.
At least Sumrall is saying the right things, just like Golesh is. Fans of both fanbases are too antsy to care about that, though, after a rough few years with coaches who couldn't even get that part right.
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