Stricklin actually addressed the Kiffin Sweepstakes after Sumrall's PC

https://www.alligator.org/article/2025/12/scott-stricklin-addresses-lane-kiffin-and-jon-sumrall


Moments after the press conference announcing Jon Sumrall as the 31st head coach in Florida football history, athletic director Scott Stricklin answered questions from the media, many of which were related to UF’s pursuit of now-LSU head coach Lane Kiffin.

While Stricklin kept things professional, he did answer questions regarding Kiffin’s choice to become the next Tigers’ head coach and made his statement clear: he was happy with the end result.

“He's a fascinating guy, and I respect his decision,” Stricklin said. “I don't know why he made the decision he did, but, I would say we had productive conversations."

Florida reportedly dropped out of the race for Kiffin on Friday, after his conversations with the Gators’ were allegedly becoming irregular.

“Once we kind of got a sense that he might not be coming our way, we understood that there was going to be a line out the door for Jon Sumrall,” Stricklin said.

The Gators then pivoted to Sumrall, who was reportedly heavily desired by SEC programs including Auburn, as well as whoever LSU and Ole Miss would be without Kiffin going forward.

Then, Kiffin announced Sunday he would be departing Oxford for Baton Rouge, signing a seven-year contract to become the next LSU head coach.

Stricklin was asked multiple times if he felt Florida “dodged a bullet” after the Kiffin saga reached its end, but he would not comment on the matter.

"I'm really happy with where we are,” Stricklin said. “I wish him the best. I wish all the schools involved the best, except for when we play them."

Stricklin was then asked if there was any truth to the narrative that he did not want to hire Kiffin whatsoever, which he debunked.

“I would say there's a lot of just false information,” Stricklin said. “There's a lot of twisted information, and a lot of people trying to create narratives that benefit themselves. And so look, I said earlier, I'm not gonna talk about any other candidates, but Lane was a pretty visible candidate.”