Former Florida Football Coach Ron Zook Attends Spring Practice, Addresses Team

Zook, who coached the Gators from 2002-2005, was invited by current head coach Jon Sumrall to watch practice and speak to the players.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 9:05pm

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A cubist-style painting depicting a fragmented, multi-angled view of a football practice, with players and coaches represented as abstract geometric shapes and forms.A cubist interpretation of a Florida Gators football practice, capturing the energy and history of the program through an abstract, geometric lens.Gainesville Today

Former University of Florida football coach Ron Zook attended the Gators' spring practice on March 31, 2026, at the invitation of current head coach Jon Sumrall. Zook, who coached the Gators from 2002-2005, watched practice from the sidelines and addressed the team when practice ended. Sumrall said Zook was complimentary of the practice and still has a lot of football knowledge to share.

Why it matters

Sumrall has made an effort to embrace Florida's coaching history and lineage since taking over the program four months ago. Inviting former coaches like Zook, Steve Spurrier, and Urban Meyer to practice shows Sumrall's desire to connect the current team with the program's successful past.

The details

Zook, who is 71 years old, went 23-14 in three seasons as Florida's head coach between Spurrier and Meyer. He recruited several starters on Florida's 2006 national championship team. Zook currently works as a special teams quality control analyst at Maryland under Mike Locksley, who was Zook's running backs coach and recruiting coordinator during his time at Florida. Sumrall said he wants to re-emphasize special teams at Florida, an area where Zook has coaching experience both at the college and NFL levels.

  • Ron Zook attended Florida's spring practice on March 31, 2026.

The players

Ron Zook

A former head coach of the University of Florida football team, who coached the Gators from 2002-2005 and is currently a special teams quality control analyst at the University of Maryland.

Jon Sumrall

The current head coach of the University of Florida football team, who has made an effort to connect the current team with the program's successful past by inviting former coaches to practice.

Steve Spurrier

A legendary former head coach of the University of Florida football team, who Sumrall has also invited to watch spring practice.

Urban Meyer

A former head coach of the University of Florida football team, who Sumrall has also invited to watch spring practice.

Mike Locksley

The current head coach at the University of Maryland, who was Zook's running backs coach and recruiting coordinator during his time at Florida.

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What they’re saying

“Everybody reflects back to his time here as the head coach, and that's what they remember. But you gotta remember he was also on Coach Spurrier's staff here as a defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator and, you know, there's several guys on our staff – He helped recruit Mike P (Peterson), he coached Bam Hardmon, Bam's last year, and he recruited Phil Trautwein here. So, he's been around this program a lot of different facets.”

— Jon Sumrall, Head Coach, University of Florida

“He still looks like he's in good shape.”

— Jon Sumrall, Head Coach, University of Florida

What’s next

Sumrall plans to continue inviting former Florida coaches to practice as he works to rebuild the program and reconnect it with its successful past.

The takeaway

Sumrall's efforts to embrace Florida's coaching history and lineage show his desire to re-establish a winning culture by drawing on the knowledge and experience of former Gators coaches like Ron Zook, Steve Spurrier, and Urban Meyer.