Gators' HC Kevin O'Sullivan to Take Leave of Absence

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida Gators baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan on Wednesday announced he was taking a leave of absence from the program to address personal matters, effective immediately.

A timeline for return was not given.

"I appreciate the support of the University and athletic department," O'Sullivan said. "I have some personal and family issues that need my full attention at this time."

In O'Sullivan's place, associate head coach Chuck Jeroloman will be the interim head coach. O'Sullivan was not at Wednesday's practice or scrimmage. Florida plays Jacksonville on Oct. 31for a exhibition before hosting Georgia Southern for its final fall exhibition on Nov. 9.

"Coach O'Sullivan has our full support as he takes the time he needs to focus on personal matters," UF athletic director Scott Stricklin said. "We appreciate his openness in communicating this decision, and respect his need for privacy."

O'Sullivan is entering his 19th season as Florida's head baseball coach. The program's all-time winningest head coach, he has led Florida to six SEC regular season titles, two SEC Tournament titles and one College World Series title.

He has led the Gators to the CWS in nine of 17 opportunties in his 18 years leading the program. The only time Florida did not make the NCAA Tournament in his time leading the program was in 2020, when the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Recently, Florida had back-to-back CWS appearances in 2023 and 2024 with a runner-up finish in 2023.

Most recently, Florida was eliminated in regional play to end the 2025 season, during which O'Sullivan was heavily criticized for his reaction to multiple scheduling changes and public outbursts towards NCAA officials and officials from East Carolina and Coastal Carolina, the host program.

He was suspended for the Gators' 2026 opening series against UAB (Feb. 13-15) as a result of his actions.

"The suspension announced today reinforces Florida Athletics' commitment to our standards, with Coach O'Sullivan accepting full responsibility for his behavior," Stricklin said in a statement. "Sully has vowed to learn from the experience and serve as a better leader moving forward."

It should be noted that the recently-announced leave of absence is not tied to the suspension.

Jeroloman, meanwhile, joined the program in 2020. He is the second interim to take over an SEC program on Wednesday after Tony Vitello left Tennessee for the manager job with the San Francisco Giants. The Volunteers have tabbed Frank Anderson as the interim.