George Gumbs Jr.’s journey from a 210-pound walk-on wide receiver at Northern Illinois to a 250-pound edge rusher making headlines in the SEC is among the most incredible position-switch tales in college football. Before Florida picked him up out of the portal, he bounced between wideout, tight end, and defensive end. For the first time in his career, Gumbs Jr. has stability. Same coach, same position, he himself admitted it makes a big difference. “My big thing coming into this year is stability,” Gumbs said. “This is my first year where I can build off another year under the same coach and at the same position.”

That steadiness is already showing up. During the first three weeks of 2025, Gumbs immediately made an impression after gaining weight during his first offseason at UF and earning starting reps opposite Tyreak Sapp. He has logged 111 snaps, a season-high five tackles against LSU, and an elite 91.9 PFF defensive grade in the opener. With a disruptive streak already underway, three starts under his credit, and double-digit sacks as the next goal, Gumbs Jr. has everything it takes to be Florida’s next defensive breakthrough.

So where did that drive and determination come from? A big part of it comes from his family.

Who is George Gumbs Jr.’s father?

George Gumbs Jr.’s dad, George Gumbs Sr., a native of Chicago’s South Side who raised his children while working as a unionized sheet metal worker, has always been his greatest supporter. When Jr. arrived more than ten years after his elder siblings, George Sr. made sure that sports were in his part of equation, even though he himself never advanced past a few years of high school football, “I got caught up in the peer pressure,” he confessed.

Whether it was baseball, karate, or basketball, Sr. just wanted his son to stay active. And when Jr. thought about quitting Pop Warner because he felt like he was “just a center,” his father knew exactly what to say. “I told him, ‘Look, you’re the only kid who can do this this well, and everything starts with you,’” Sr. recalled. “‘You are the most important person on the field.’”

Those motivational talks never really stopped. George Sr. has supported his son through all the highs and lows, from making the long trek to Northern Illinois to watch him sit on the bench to now seeing him suit up in The Swamp. After Jr. went to Florida, the Gumbs family even moved from Chicago to Palm Bay so they could be nearer. When the Gators eventually called, Sr. realized how crazy the trip had been. He said, “When he committed, I couldn’t believe it…I don’t even know too many kids who went through that. I call it lucky. I didn’t know until Florida was recruiting him that Florida was his favorite school.” Whether it is luck, fate, or simply dedication, the father-son relationship is stitched throughout George Jr.’s rise.

Who is George Gumbs Jr.’s mother?

Not much is known about his mom, in contrast to his dad, who has frequently discussed his son’s journey from walk-on receiver to SEC edge rusher in public.

What is George Gumbs Jr.’s parents’ ethnicity and nationality?

George Gumbs Jr.’s parents are Americans with origins on Chicago’s South Side. George Sr., his dad, was raised there and even participated for a few years of high school football until his life took him on a different path. When the Gumbs family settled in Chicago, Jr. went to Simeon High School, a basketball powerhouse that also provided him with his first taste of competitive football. Before the COVID-19 epidemic ruined his recruitment efforts, he helped Simeon win the 2019 City Championship and went on to become a team captain in 2020.

What started as a father’s pep talk to a young center has grown into a family’s story of faith and fight. George Sr. and his family never stopped believing, and now their son is proving that their sacrifices and his determination were all worth it.