The No. 17 Florida Gators are gearing up for a clash with the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday in Atlanta. Both teams are coming off a bye week, giving them an extra week for self-reflection, preparation, and in head coach Jon Sumrall's case, a look to the future.

"Tuesday and Wednesday, we spend a lot of time on, I do personally, I spend a lot of time on what does '27 look like, to be quite honest with you," Sumrall said. "Because the transfer portal and player movement and all that stuff will come at you fast if you don't have your eyes up a little now."

The transfer portal opens this season on January 2nd, and will remain open for two weeks.

"I don't do it for very long. I take a couple of hours with our front office on each side of the ball and just kind of project, 'OK, what are the needs we have to build as we want to build this thing long term, and what does 27's football team look like?'"

While no one knows for sure who is going to be available and where they end up in the portal. A self-scout gives Sumrall and the Gators a good idea who they'll want to target when the calendar flips to 2027 in a little over two months.

One of Sumrall's best recruiting jobs when he first got the job, was keeping key talent in Gainesville, including players like running back Jadan Baugh.

He'll want to build that loyalty and culture through the high school ranks and supplement the core talent with the portal, rather than rely on the portal to be competitive.

Sumrall admitted he admired the job that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has done building his team through the last decade with recruiting, retention, and development.

"You can tell they have layered development. They've recruited great players," Sumrall said of the Bulldogs. "They've done that year in and year out for the entire time he's been there, but then I think they're developed and they're calloused, and they're strong, and they're physical, and you can tell that that has been layered. It's been built over time."

So far, all Sumrall lacks is time on task, because he and the Gators are recruiting at an elite level in his first full year on the job. Florida is No. 5 in Rivals' industry composite rankings, which also includes ESPN and 247Sports.

The class includes four wide receivers, highlighted by five-star Easton Royal from New Orleans, La. Offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller, from Coatsville, Pa., is widely considered a top three player in the class, regardless of position. There is depth on defense with three linebackers, three defensive linemen, and five defensive backs.

Sumrall understands that being a coach at a place like Florida, the recruiting never stops.

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