re: Sumrall

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### SEC Football Assistant and Support Staff Budgets: 2025 Comparison

Florida's new $16.3 million minimum annual budget for assistant coaches and support staff (encompassing on-field assistants, coordinators, and off-field roles like operations, recruiting, analytics, strength & conditioning, and player development) positions the Gators at the **top of the SEC** for this combined pool.


|------|-----------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------|
| 1 | Florida | $16.3 million (minimum) | Contractual pool for Sumrall; exceeds all peers and can increase with approval. Prior FY2024: ~$8.3M assistants + $6.4M support. |
| 2 | Georgia | $10.332 million | FY2024 actual (includes on-field assistants + support); Kirby Smart's program leads in overall coaching investment but trails Florida's new pool. |
| 3 | Tennessee | ~$10–12 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $8.1M; assistants ~$4M. Total staff pool ranks high in SEC; aggressive spending under Josh Heupel. |
| 4 | Alabama | ~$9–11 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $6.7M; assistants ~$4.5M (top coordinators at $1.9M each). Kalen DeBoer's staff emphasizes high-end hires. |
| 5 | Ole Miss | ~$9–10.5 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $7.3M; assistants ~$2.5M (DC Pete Golding at $2.55M). Lane Kiffin's program invests heavily in coordinators. |
| 6 | LSU | ~$8.5–10 million (est.) | FY2024 support: ~$6.5M; assistants ~$2.5M (DC Matt House at $1.9M). Brian Kelly's pool supports NFL-caliber staff. |
| 7 | Texas A&M | ~$8–9.5 million (est.) | FY2024 support: ~$6M; assistants ~$3M. Mike Elko's rebuild focuses on analytics/recruiting support. |
| 8 | Auburn | ~$7.5–9 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $6.3M (up from $5.4M in 2023); assistants ~$2.5M. Hugh Freeze's staff emphasizes recruiting ops. |
| 9 | Texas | ~$7–9 million (est.) | New SEC member; FY2024 support: ~$5.5M; assistants ~$2.5M under Steve Sarkisian. Rapidly increasing with revenue boost. |
| 10 | South Carolina | ~$7–8.5 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $7.1M; assistants ~$1.5M. Shane Beamer's program prioritizes support for recruiting. |
| 11 | Missouri | ~$6.5–8 million (est.) | FY2024 support: ~$5.5M; assistants ~$2M. Eli Drinkwitz's pool is mid-tier but efficient. |
| 12 | Mississippi State | ~$6–7.5 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $4.3M; assistants ~$2M. Jeff Lebby's rebuild invests in coordinators. |
| 13 | Oklahoma | ~$5.5–7 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $4.1M; assistants ~$2M. New SEC challenges; Brent Venables focuses on defense. |
| 14 | Arkansas | ~$5–6.5 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $4M; assistants ~$1.5M. Bottom of SEC; recent cuts and coaching change signal increases needed. |
| 15 | Kentucky | ~$4.5–6 million (est.) | FY2024 support: $3M; assistants ~$2M. Mark Stoops' pool lags; emphasis on value hires. |
| 16 | Vanderbilt | Undisclosed | Private institution; est. ~$4–5M based on league trends. Low investment relative to

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I used ai to gather the info. It used 20 sources.

quote:

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Hugh Freeze's staff emphasizes recruiting ops.

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lol

I think Sumrall is a culture guy, and it's TBD whether he'll have credibility with that at a higher level of athlete. And it's TBD as to whether he can fulfill the managerial role of HC in a big program.

Those were my questions for him and I think they're the same at UF. If he can check those boxes, he's very likely to succeed.

So in that respect it's somewhat similar. Dabo's cultural schtick was built for a different time and place, but it obviously worked very well. It was the most sustainable of the three between Dabo/Ed O/Chizik.

All three were perfect for the right time and place. Two flamed out extremely quickly, Dabo was able to ride it a bit longer and may still have life. Sumrall is more broad based and it'll be interesting to watch. What I mean is that I don't think Ed O wins that title anywhere but LSU. I don't think Chizik wins that title anywhere but Auburn.

Sumrall will probably either settle down a bit and round into a more complete package as a HC, or he'll look like Butch Jones.