The University of Florida made a big change this summer when it poached former University of Michigan president Santa Ono to come be the president in Gainesville. The move was announced back in early May, and all indications were that Ono was coming to represent the blue and orange as the new head of the university.

In the words of Lee Corso: Not so fast, my friend.

The Florida Board of Governors rejected the hire of Ono, with 10 of the 16 voters rejecting the move, according to David Jesse of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

“BREAKING: The Florida higher education system Board of Governors rejects the hiring of Santa Ono as University of Florida president. Vote was 6 yes, 10 no,” Jesse reported on X, formerly Twitter.

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Florida had been dead set on Ono being the one to take the reins as the head of the Gators, and everything throughout the search for a new president pointed in his direction. The school will now have to return to searching for someone to replace former president Ben Sasse, who stepped down after less than two years in that seat due to the health of his wife.

Ono was the only primary candidate in Florida's search, so it's unclear where it will turn to from here. The University of Florida Board of Trustees had already unanimously voted in favor of Ono's hire in late May.

Ono had been the president at the University of Michigan since July of 2022 after spending time at the University of Cincinnati and the University of British Columbia.

The next few weeks or months will be critical for the University of Florida. Former president Kent Fuchs is currently serving as the interim president, but this is a hire that the Gators will want to have squared away by the time the first semester of 2025-26 and the football season rolls around.