Firmly entrenched with a handful of spring practices under their belt, Jon Sumrall fully acknowledged the work that lies ahead of them this week to turn around the Gators by sharing that he cancelled an upcoming trip with his wife to Italy to celebrate her 40th birthday and their 15th wedding anniversary to instead stay in The Sunshine State instead for their celebration.
Sumrall and company have also been working to round out their staff, and the Gators are now on the verge of adding a FCS coordinator to the staff, according to a report.
ESPN shares today Florida is set to hire Wofford co-defensive coordinator Jonathan Saxon to the defensive side of the ball. Saxon also worked with the team's defensive line at Wofford.
The report adds Saxon will work alongside defensive line coach Gerald Chatman with the Gators defensive line.
Under Saxon the last few seasons, the Wofford defense finished fourth in the SoCon in 2024, and atop the league this past season and ranked among the top ten teams in all of FCS in rush defense during a 6-6 campaign.
Saxon arrived at Wofford in April of 2023 after eight seasons on staff at South Carolina State, where he helped the team to three MEAC titles. The final four seasons of his tenure with SC State he served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
The job at Florida marks a return to major college football for Saxon, as he previously spent time on staff at Louisville, where he worked with current Wofford head coach Shawn Watson who was the Cardinals offensive coordinator. HIs time at Louisville saw the defense lead the country in sacks, total defense, and rushing defense during the 2013 season, while ranking second in scoring defense, fifth in pass defense, and ninth in tackles for loss while finishing the season 12-1 with a win over Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl to end the year.
In 2012, Louisville finished 11-2 and ranked among the top 25 in a number of key defensive metrics.
Saxon becomes the second member of the Wofford defensive staff to leave in recent weeks. Earlier this month defensive backs coach / pass game coordinator Brandon Napoleon, who was offered a elevated role on staff to stay at Wofford per Sports Illustrated, decided to leave the staff for his first opportunity at the major college level as the assistant defensive backs coach at Syracuse.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.