The Jon Sumrall era at Florida began under heartbreaking circumstances. The former Tulane and AAC-title-winning head coach lost his father, George Sumrall, on December 19. The timing could not have been worse, as it occurred while Jon was juggling his new job in Florida and preparing Tulane for the playoffs. After a week of grief, the Gators’ new head coach finally broke through with a cryptic message. The Gator Nation is losing sleep over it.

On December 25, the Gators’ head coach Jon Sumrall hopped onto X and bluntly tweeted: “🐊”

Not going to lie, that one emoji had Jon Sumrall’s X in investigation mode. Gator Nation came out in full force and could not contain its excitement as Jon Sumrall finally started moving like a Gator.

It may seem simple, but Florida fans are not known for leaving things at face value. Many immediately wondered if the post meant Sumrall was finally all-in after an emotionally exhausting week. And truthfully, the last several days have been brutal for the Sumrall family.

Around the time of his father’s passing, Sumrall reportedly took little to no time away, jumping straight into playoff preparation and coaching Tulane against Ole Miss in the first round.

After that game and his father’s funeral services back in Alabama around December 23, Sumrall made his final move to Gainesville. Once the goodbyes were done, it was straight to work for the Gators. Within minutes of his gator emoji tweet, Gator Nation went full Sherlock mode, trying to decode the message.

Gator Nation’s theory about Jon Sumrall’s tweet

Fans quickly landed on three main theories about the cryptic post. One fan wrote: “This means one of three things: 1) Jadan Baugh is coming back to Florida. 2) Something just as big is about to happen. 3) Coach Sumrall is going to learn a lesson about getting Florida fans’ hopes up REAL quick.”

According to that fan, it had to be one of the three. Obviously, landing Jadan Baugh would be a massive flex, especially with the Gators leaning toward a defense-first identity.

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Another fan did not even try to decode the message and simply posted a Chandler Friends GIF that read: “I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m excited.”

One fan shared a Lee Corso Gators mascot pick GIF and asked Sumrall to “elaborate,” followed by a simple “just win.” Even rival fans agree on one thing about Sumrall: he sure knows how to win. In just four seasons as a head coach at Troy and Tulane, he’s put together an impressive 43-12 overall record. Plus, he snagged three conference titles. But the real question is, can he do it in the SEC?

Another user commented: “Keep these coming, Coach. GO GATORS!!!” Fans are clearly excited to see Jon Sumrall channeling his inner Gator. As long as he keeps winning, Gator Nation will love the heck out of him.

The final comment summed it up perfectly: “Merry Christmas, Coach. Now bring Baugh back to Gainesville. Go Gators 🐊” Word is that Jon Sumrall recently sat down with Jadan Baugh and his family, and the meeting went well.

Baugh has been a menace on the field this season, becoming the first player to surpass 1,000 rushing yards (1,170 yards, 8 touchdowns) since Kevin Taylor. Some believe bringing him back would be the biggest win of the offseason for Jon Sumrall. Either way, within the next few days, there should be more clarity on what that tweet actually meant.