It’s been less than 15 days since Jon Sumrall was officially hired as Florida’s head coach. And he has already started turning the program inside out. Sumrall’s first hire reportedly became Kentucky’s Brad White, donning the DC role. Now, the head coach has poached a crucial DBs coach. Someone earlier headed to in-state rival Florida State.

According to Zach Abolverdi of ON3, the Gators have now finalized the hiring of former Miami and NFL CBs coach Brandon Harris. The 35-year-old was most recently serving as the DBs coach for UCF and has 7 years’ worth of coaching experience on his resume. The hiring is also crucial since it will open the in-state recruiting doors, as the Miami native has a proven pedigree in recruiting high-profile targets.

Harris helped UCF to a 25th-ranked passing defense in 2025 and has developed crucial DBs. Under his watch, Demari Henderson accumulated 61 yards, and Phillip Dunnam notched 60. Other players like Antione Jackson and Jayden Bellamy also contributed 67 tackles together, signaling Henderson’s brilliance. The 35-year-old is the major reason UCF’s total defense ranks 38th nationally, despite a 5-7 season. In Gainesville, Harris brings an illustrious resume.

The 2009 All-American and First Team All-ACC played for Miami from 2008 to 2010 and quickly moved to the NFL. In the floodlights of the NFL, the now Gators DBs coach spent six seasons, later moving to FIU as a graduate assistant in 2019. Florida Atlantic in 2022 came as his big break after being hired as the team’s CBs coach. Later, in 2023, when FAU hired a new head coach in Tom Herman, he chose to retain Harris.

Herman’s decision finally paid off in 2024 as FAU’s defense notched 11 interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. Plus, the program also compiled one turnover each in eight of its games. Now factor in that Harris’s defense was ranked in the top-40 in red-zone defense. The Miami alum seems like a steal for Jon Sumrall. Pun aside, Sumrall literally stole Harris from FSU, right from the Noles’ teeth.

Jon Sumrall’s aggressive push for glory at Florida

On December 4, when Jon Sumrall was busy making his first defensive hire in Brad White, FSU was busy finalizing Harris’s hire. The DBs coach going to FSU also made sense since his younger brother, Tim Harris, is the WRs coach at FSU. Never mind, he is also the son of legendary South Florida high school coach Tim Harris Sr. Harris Sr. had reportedly made it clear about his wish to see his two sons coaching for the Seminoles.

According to reports, Harris was in Tallahassee for the last 48 hours, and all signs pointed to him joining Mike Norvell’s camp. “FSU insiders were indicating that Harris was literally in Tallahassee in the last 48 hours and felt confident he would join Norvell’s staff,” reported Benjamin Henderson, a Gators insider. That alone makes Jon Sumrall’s hiring significant.

So far, Sumrall has hired offensive cordinator Buster Faulkner, and his hiring was similar. Georgia Tech was after the coach and even tried to match the offer that Faulkner got. Ultimately, the Gators’ push reigned supreme, and Faulkner is locked on to coach in 2026. Another hire of Phil Trautwein as Sumrall’s offensive line coach has the same overtones. The Jon Sumrall hiring philosophy looks to be uncompromising at Florida.

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“I was a linebacker coach, co-defensive coordinator, and then most people in America didn’t really know my name unless you really loved studying football. I may be a defensive guy, but I want to be more of a defensive guy like … Bob Stoops. I want the scoreboard to light up,” said Jon Sumrall. Hiring Phil Trautwein is a step in that direction. Trautwein was most recently coaching at Penn State, where he joined in 2020.

The coach was the primary reason for the Nittany Lions’ O linemen consistently getting drafted in the NFL. Moreover, since he was the Gators’ All-SEC tackle himself, playing from 2006 to 2008. All in all, Gators are unquestionably in for a great era with Sumrall considering the job he is doing now.