Jon Sumrall enters his first year as head football coach of the Florida Gators, and he already delivered a memorable press conference in his first try at SEC Media Days.
A phone went off during Sumrall’s press conference at SEC Media Days on Wednesday in Tampa, FL, and Sumrall stopped what he was saying to acknowledge the guilty reporter.
“You’d be kicked out of our team meeting,” Sumrall told the reporter. “I swear. You’re lucky I’m not going to throw my freakin’ podium right now. It drives me crazy.”
“I would say, ‘Who is that?” Sumrall continued. “But I’m not going to embarrass anybody.”
“You’d be kicked out of our team meeting … You’re lucky I’m not gonna throw this freakin’ podium.” 😅
A phone went off during Jon Sumrall’s press conference 😬 pic.twitter.com/0Xsy7sball
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) July 22, 2026
While there were laughs heard from others at the press conference, it was hard to tell if Sumrall was being serious or not.
Former college basketball coach and current Minnesota Timberwolves analyst Tom Crean made the following post on X in response to Sumrall’s comments:
He can’t be serious on embarrassing that person. Do you think they meant for the Phone to go off ? Did it really need that performative reaction ? At least you got laughs at that persons expense. They DON’T work for you or play for you. Their job is important to them too!! https://t.co/w0Z49Vmu3X
— Tom Crean (@TomCrean) July 22, 2026
“He can’t be serious on embarrassing that person,” Crean wrote. “Do you think they meant for the Phone to go off ? Did it really need that performative reaction ? At least you got laughs at that persons expense. They DON’T work for you or play for you. Their job is important to them too!!”
Sumrall responded:
You are right Tom. I wasn’t serious. I was joking. https://t.co/AKtgFS4rzz
— Jon Sumrall (@CoachJonSumrall) July 22, 2026
“You are right Tom,” Sumrall wrote. “I wasn’t serious. I was joking.”
Sumrall, a former linebacker at Kentucky, has been a college football head coach since 2022. He led Troy to 12-2 and 11-2 records before having similar success the past two seasons at Tulane with records of 9-3 and 11-3. And he led Tulane to a stunning College Football Playoff appearance in the 2025 season.
The Florida program has been a disappointment for years, with the last season of at least nine wins coming in 2019 (11-2). Sumrall is tasked with turning the once-proud program around.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.