Jon Sumrall is working through his first offseason as the Florida Gators' head coach. While much of the focus is on the upcoming 2026 college football season, Sumrall and his staff aren't turning a blind eye to the future.
Despite the coaching change, the Gators are off to a hot start in the 2027 recruiting class. The group already has seven commitments, ranking fourth in the SEC and seventh in the nation
The latest addition to the class came on Thursday. Florida had been in a recruiting battle for tight end Tommy Douglas. At 6-foot-4.5 and 235 pounds, he is a three-star recruit, the No. 35 tight end and the No. 679 player in the nation, per Rivals Industry Rankings.
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He first announced a scholarship offer from the Gators back on Jan. 20. However, they weren't the only team pushing for the tight end. Since the beginning of March, Douglas had taken visits with Clemson, Alabama, UCLA, USC, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Florida and Penn State.
Sumrall and his staff did enough to get the job done, though. On Thursday, Rivals' Hayes Fawcett reported that Douglas committed to Florida.
Quickly after the news was revealed, Sumrall took to social media to celebrate the commitment, writing "GOOD."
It's an exciting win for Florida, being able to beat out some of the top teams in college football. Last season for Hun High School, Douglas hauled in 33 receptions for 640 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games.
Douglas is also the fifth offensive addition in the 2027 cycle, joining five-star IOL Maxwell Hiller, four-star ATH Tramond Collins, four-star QB Davin Davidson and three-star TE Jackson Ballinger. It's yet another building block to one of Sumrall's first recruiting classes in Gainesville.
