The Georgia Bulldogs might seem to be the toughest program to play in the SEC, but there are new underdogs in the league who can challenge Kirby Smart and his team in 2026. The Florida Gators could flip the script this season, with major coaching changes already taking shape in Gainesville. According to former Alabama star and ex-NFL running back Damien Harris, a fresh regime under new head coach Jon Sumrall looks more dangerous than ever.
With plenty of championship experience under his belt, Sumrall appears to be a perfect long-term solution for the Gators, who have struggled with consistency in recent years. Although this is his first head coaching experience at a Power Four school, his track record could help him overcome the existing barriers.
Damien Harris Makes Bold Prediction for Gators vs. Bulldogs in 2026 Season
The 2026 Georgia-Florida game kicks off Oct. 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the first time the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has been played outside Florida since 1995. EverBank Stadium is under renovation, so the game goes to Tampa in 2027 before returning to Jacksonville in 2028.
Over the last five years, there has been sheer domination by Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs against the Florida Gators, with Georgia holding a perfect 5-0 record. Billy Napier went 0-3 against Georgia before he was fired seven games into last season, and 3-12 against Florida’s five biggest rivals, the fewest such wins by a Gators coach since the late 1930s. The fifth loss in the current streak came after he was already gone, with Billy Gonzales running the team on an interim basis.
According to Harris, the Gators look prepared, and their new head coach is a different breed altogether.
“My bold take is that, for the World’s Largest Cocktail Party in Atlanta, Georgia, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Florida might shock the world and beat Georgia. And I’ll tell you why: Jon Sumrall,” Harris said.
“I did a one-on-one, and he talked about the program. The University of Florida is a sleeping giant that needs to be woken up, right? And I asked him. I said, ‘Well, what does it take to wake this place up?’” Harris said on That SEC Football Podcast with host Mike Bratton, recalling the one-on-one he did with Sumrall at SEC Media Days in Tampa.
Sumrall first called Florida a sleeping giant after April’s Orange and Blue game, telling reporters it was not a matter of if the Gators would win but how fast. The phrase has followed him since, and it is what Harris was pushing back on when he asked how the giant actually gets woken up.
Asked @DHx34 for his @TNLegend boldest SEC take entering 2026
“Florida might shock the world and beat Georgia.”
“And I’ll tell you why — Jon Sumrall.”
WATCH: https://t.co/JSeOF61rbA pic.twitter.com/LlJTZrObNg
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) August 9, 2026
“And he gave me this answer, and it was very well thought out. It was very well worded. I don’t want to skip over what he said, but what I got from it was his energy, his passion, and the look in his eyes. And that’s what everybody has felt around here in Tampa this week. We’re still talking about him, and this was yesterday. But basically, how is he going to wake this beast up? It’s by everything that we’ve seen and the energy that we’ve felt. I think it’s undeniable at this point,” he added.
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The 44-year-old coach is coming off a successful stint at Tulane, where he led the team to a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff and won the American Conference title in his second year with the program, beating North Texas 34-21 in the championship game before a first-round playoff loss at Ole Miss. Before that, he spent two years at Troy, transforming the program with back-to-back Sun Belt championships and a 23-4 record.
Sumrall is expected to carry that legacy forward at a much bigger stage. His confidence and discipline at this year’s SEC Media Days, highlighted by viral quotes and the phone-ringing incident, gave fans a glimpse of what he brings to the table.
SEC media picked Florida ninth out of 16 after last season’s 4-8 finish, which tells you how much of Harris’s take rests on the coach rather than the roster. That is the bet. Halloween in Atlanta is when it gets settled.
