GAINESVILLE, Florida — When Jon Sumrall took over as Florida's head coach, he knew he wasn't inheriting a finished product. He described the Gators program as a "beast that needs to be woken up," and after a 4-8 season ended Billy Napier's tenure, that assessment feels spot-on. Florida hasn't won more than eight regular-season games since 2019, and the sleeping giant in the SEC is ready to stir.

Sumrall, who arrived from Louisiana's Group of Six ranks, has a secret weapon for navigating the rebuild: a single four-letter word. It's scrawled across the whiteboard in his corner office overlooking the practice fields, written big and small, sideways and upside down. His 12-year-old son Sam is the artist behind the mantra, and it's become the backbone of Florida's resurgence.

That word? "Good."

Inspired by a video from former Navy SEAL John "Jocko" Willink, Sumrall's philosophy is simple: no matter what happens—a five-star commitment or a disappointing decommitment—the response is always "good." He shows the video to his team twice a year, and he lives by it himself. "My third game as head coach, we throw an interception on the first play against App State," Sumrall recalled. "I got on the headset and said, 'Good. I don't want to watch our offense right now anyway.' Everyone looked at me like, 'What the hell is wrong with you?'"

That mindset is fueling something special in Gainesville. Since April, the Gators have landed 11 verbal commitments, including five-star running back Maxwell Hiller—the crown jewel of the class. Sumrall's X account lights up with "good" every time a recruit picks Florida, but the message holds true even when they don't. It's a steady hand in a volatile sport, and it's working.

Sumrall even keeps a tangible reminder in his office: an orange and blue hat from the golf brand Good Good, a nod to the phrase golfers use when conceding a putt. He doesn't wear it often yet—Florida's collective is working on producing versions they can sell—but the sentiment is already woven into the fabric of the program.

Between a surging recruiting class and a looming quarterback battle, the Gators are building momentum. For Sumrall, it's all part of the plan. Good things are coming to Florida, and he's just getting started.