Florida’s football team transition under Jon Sumrall keeps moving quickly, and special teams is the latest area getting a clear direction after a strange few weeks where he’s been balancing Tulane’s CFP push while assembling a new staff in Gainesville.

Per Matt Zenitz, Florida is set to hire Tulane special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante to the same role with the Gators. Galante was a Broyles Award nominee this season, and his resume includes special teams coordinator stops at Marshall, plus analyst work at Alabama and Virginia Tech.

That hire fits the broader context of Sumrall juggling two worlds at once. Tulane’s playoff berth has kept him tied to the Green Wave, even as Florida expects him to build a full operation immediately.

Right as Florida continues building out Jon Sumrall’s first staff, more Tulane ties are expected to follow. Pete Thamel reported the Gators are set to add Tulane DC Greg Gasparato as inside linebackers coach, and are also expected to hire Tulane OC Joe Craddock as quarterbacks coach, giving Florida two more veteran voices from the Green Wave’s American title run.

Sumrall has openly framed it as finishing the right way at Tulane while Florida allows him to do that, a rare setup in modern coaching movement.

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The urgency in Gainesville is obvious when you look at how volatile the roster picture has been. One of the biggest storylines has been quarterback DJ Lagway entering the transfer portal, and a report from CBS Sports said Lagway initially wanted to remain at Florida even with the coaching change.

The split, however, came after an early meeting with the new staff that “did not go well,” with multiple sources saying Sumrall challenged Lagway’s competitiveness and work ethic and pressed on what kind of player he is.

The Galante move doesn’t solve Florida’s football team quarterback questions, but it does show how Sumrall is building out the staff with people he knows, and doing it while he still has Tulane on the calendar.

Florida is adding structure on one side of the ball, and the next steps will be about whether that same clarity shows up in how the Gators stabilize the roster heading into 2026.