GAINESVILLE — In January 2013, Dave Caldwell was introduced as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ new general manager, tasked with rebuilding an expansion-level awful roster.
Fast forward to Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. Thirteen years older and wiser, Caldwell started his new job as general manager of the Florida Gators football program, tasked with rebuilding a roster that was 4-8 this season.
And based on Caldwell’s experience at all levels of an NFL team and how it relates to the new normal in college football, Florida may be the instant and long-term beneficiary, even moreso than the impact coach Jon Sumrall will make.
Five years ago, a former NFL GM/current assistant GM leaving his defending Super Bowl champion employer (Philadelphia Eagles) to help a college football program that has lost its way would have been unlikely and confusing.
But not so much anymore. It was time for a program like Florida to not just think outside the box, but create a new box.
That’s how Caldwell found himself on the job with a Florida pin on his suit coat, attending Sumrall’s press conference, meeting with reporters, getting ready for signing day on Wednesday, Dec. 3, and preparing for the Jan. 2 opening of the transfer portal.
An NFL scout or executive since 1996, Caldwell has gone back to school.
“I feel like this is the way college athletics has been going for a long time,” he said.
It could be the way Florida gets back to relevance. What the Gators tried doing for the last several years — the head coach also serving as the CEO — failed. It was time for a different model.
“We felt like we had an opportunity to do something different in college football that would give us an advantage,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said.
Chance to do something different
If the Sumrall-Caldwell partnership works and Florida becomes respectable and contends for the top few spots in the SEC and develops entertaining offenses, the Gators may be leading a trend.
And, really, it makes a ton of sense. In this era of college football, the job of the head coach has so many tentacles — recruiting, the transfer portal, leading staff/support personnel, boosters, coaching, game-planning — why not take something off his plate? Have somebody serve as the finder of players and negotiator of player contracts?
“I believe (the role) is really a support system to serve the coaches and players to make sure they have the tools to have success,” Caldwell said.
The Gators-Caldwell dance actually began last year, but talks didn’t intensify. In early November, after coach Billy Napier was fired, Stricklin reached out again to Caldwell.
Caldwell, who has continued to live in the Jacksonville area since the Jaguars fired him in November 2020, called leaving the Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman (a UF alum) “a tough decision.” But looking at it from his prism, getting a chance to be a college general manager was more enticing than waiting for a second chance at being an NFL general manager that may never materialize.
Caldwell has spent the past five seasons attending college games in-person, allowing to be attune to potential portal talent.
“(Helped) a lot,” he said. “I have a really good knowledge of the current college players.”
And evaluating high school and young college players?
“The evaluation part is easy, it is what’s behind the evaluation: Toughness. Character. Instincts,” Caldwell said. “Those are things we can develop. (The Eagles) were a big traits team (when scouting). We projected every player three years down the road and that’s even more important here because players (in high school) aren’t a finished product and you have to project 1-2 years.”
Stricklin committing to this set-up probably cost him a shot at hiring Lane Kiffin, who will bring his general manager with him from Ole Miss to LSU. But, heck, maybe Stricklin wasn’t all that enamored with Kiffin. Who knows.
What we do know is Stricklin is all-in on Caldwell supporting Sumrall in the team-building, team-maintaining effort.
“I think Dave has a great personality, a great skill set and is going to work really well with Jon,” Stricklin said.
Caldwell learned in Philadelphia
Caldwell helped build the Jaguars’ 2017 AFC championship game finalist team. But the Jaguars didn’t win consistently enough and Caldwell was moved on.
“Eight great years in Jacksonville; some ups and downs,” he said. “Didn’t end the way I wanted it.”
Jaguars fans who double as Gators fans are probably hesitant to embrace Caldwell’s involvement in the UF program, but I point to the experience he got helping the Baltimore Ravens’ draft effort in 2021 and the five seasons he spent with the Eagles.
Anybody with a growth mindset benefits from experience. Caldwell is a better executive than when his Jaguars tenure ended.
“I tell people I wish I had these five years (with the Eagles) before I went to Jacksonville,” he said. “First-class owner (Jeffrey Lurie). Best GM in all of sports. But I left my job in Philadelphia because I believe so much in Coach Sumrall.”
Caldwell and Sumrall must be aligned to revive the Gators’ program and their first objective is to keep their head down and not listen to the chatter about who they aren’t (Kiffin). I’m not sure about Sumrall making the jump from Tulane to Florida, but I am sure that his chances of success are enhanced by Caldwell’s hiring.
Contact O’Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Why Florida Gators hiring Dave Caldwell as GM may have instant benefit
Reporting by Ryan O’Halloran, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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