The Florida Gators' offensive rebuild under newly hired head coach Jon Sumrall has taken a major step forward, as the Gators are set to hire Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner for the same role in Gainesville, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The move gives Sumrall a Broyles Award semifinalist and one of college football’s most productive play callers after Florida finished the 2025 season ranked 102nd nationally and 13th in the SEC in total offense at 341.3 yards per game.
Georgia Tech made an aggressive push to retain Faulkner and was willing to match Florida’s offer, even positioning him among the ACC's highest-paid coordinators, per Thamel. Faulkner previously received a raise and a two-year extension worth $1.5 million annually, the largest assistant-coaching contract in Georgia Tech history. Still, he opted to join Sumrall’s first staff in Gainesville.
Faulkner arrives after engineering one of the top offenses in the country over his three seasons in Atlanta. Georgia Tech currently ranks 12th nationally in total offense (466.3 yards per game) and second in the ACC, averaging 33.1 points per game. The Yellow Jackets averaged 7.09 yards per play, ninth-best in the nation and ahead of the previous program record of 6.81. In 2023, Tech led the ACC with 203.8 rushing yards per game, followed by 187 in 2024, and a conference-leading 215.2 in 2025.
Faulkner’s exemplar achievement has been the rise of quarterback Haynes King, who became an ACC Player of the Year winner, a Heisman Trophy contender, and one of the country’s top dual-threat producers. King completed nearly 72% of his passes for 2,697 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while rushing for 922 yards and 15 scores in 2025. In the last two seasons, King has accumulated 52 total touchdowns to seven interceptions.
Before his time at Georgia Tech, Faulkner worked as Georgia’s quarterbacks coach and quality control assistant from 2020–22, contributing to back-to-back national championships and the development of Stetson Bennett, who produced 55 touchdowns and 14 interceptions over his final two seasons, including 4,127 passing yards in 2023.
The Gators' offensive unit is a double-edged sword of potential and pressing need. Quarterback DJ Lagway completed just over 63% of his passes for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions as a sophomore, while injuries limited his mobility. Running back Jadan Baugh paced Florida's offense with 1,170 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Wideouts Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson had moments of brilliance, though injuries limited their availability. The offensive line, however, now has a mountain to climb with the departures of Austin Barber and Jake Slaughter, both of whom are heading to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Faulkner is Florida’s second high-profile coordinator hire of the week, joining defensive coordinator Brad White, as Sumrall finalizes a staff tasked with reviving a program that has struggled offensively for four straight seasons.
