Florida football held its first coaching clinic under head coach Jon Sumrall on Friday, March 27, in an event which attracted some notable names.
Current Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen, former NFL coach Jon Gruden and Hall of Fame former Jaguars, Ohio State and Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer shared their wisdom at the event.
Sumrall said earlier in the week close to 350 coaches from around the state and pre-registered for the clinic at the Heavener Football Complex.
“We’re very privileged,” Sumrall said. “I can’t thank the guys that are coming to spend time with us at the clinic enough. Coach Meyer and Liam Coen and Gruden, what a lineup, right? That’s pretty cool.”
Sumrall and Coen coached together at Kentucky in 2021, when Sumrall was linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator with the Wildcats, while Coen served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Meyer was involved in the search process to hire Sumrall from Tulane and has served as an early mentor to the new UF coach. Sumrall’s connection with Gruden, who is now based in Tampa, was when they coached at San Diego under the late Dave Adolph, who was Gruden’s linebackers coach with the Oakland Raiders in 1998.
“I told Gruden and Liam, I just wanted to hear them install some offensive plays,” Sumrall said. “Like the last time I heard Gruden talk — I got a note section on my phone the last time I heard Gruden talk, a note section that says Gruden, and I’ve got a million words on quarterback play that I just jotted down on my phone. So I’ll be in the audience taking down notes just like anyone else.”
Sumrall said Meyer and Gruden also plan to attend UF’s spring practice following the event and speak to the team.
“Urban and Gruden are going to be at practice on Friday, which will be fun,” Sumrall said. “And I think the other thing I’m excited about is Urban is going to spend some time with our coaching staff, just the coaches and Urban in our staff room.
“I’m going to give them a half-hourish window or whatever I got on the schedule for his day to just address our staff about what it means to be a Florida Gator and what it means to represent this place and do it at a high level and pursue championships.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football and Jon Sumrall host coaching royalty at coaching clinic
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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