New Florida coach Jon Sumrall to coach Tulane through the end of its season

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin confirmed newly-hired Gators head coach Jon Sumrall will continue to coach Tulane through the conclusion of its 2025 season before arriving in Gainesville. Stricklin made the announcement in the press release formally announcing Sumrall’s hiring Sunday.

That includes Friday’s American Conference Championship Game in New Orleans, where the 21st-ranked Green Wave (10-2, 7-1 American) will take on No. 20 North Texas (11-1, 7-1 American) at 8 pm ET on ABC. The winner is widely expected to qualify for a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff as the highest-ranked Group of Five champion, likely leapfrogging No. 19 James Madison of the Sun Belt in the process.

If Tulane wins the American and makes the 12-team College Footall Playoff field as the 12th seed, Sumrall’s presence in the Playoff would be great public relations for Florida, a program in dire need of favorable headlines amid a disappointing 4-8 season in 2025.

“Jon Sumrall is a proven winner and an exceptional leader who has built successful programs at every stop,” Stricklin said of Sumrall in Florida’s formal announcement. “He brings tremendous energy, strong recruiting relationships across our footprint, and a philosophy rooted in toughness, discipline and player development. He will cultivate a daily culture of competitiveness, accountability and winning that drives success on the field and throughout our program. Jon fully understands the expectations at the University of Florida, including our expectations to produce championship teams that feature a dynamic offense, and we’re excited to welcome him and his family to Gator Nation.

“Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has done it,” Stricklin continued. “He joins rare company — coaches like Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Willie Fritz — who’ve delivered immediate success at multiple stops. Jon’s track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes.”

Sumrall, a native of Huntsville, Ala. and former Kentucky linebacker, won two conference titles at Troy between 2022-23 and made the American Conference title game in 2024 during his first season at Tulane. With a 10-win season so far, Sumrall is 19-7 in two years with the Green Wave and and 42–11 in four years as an FBS head football coach.

Sumrall was also a popular name in last year’s coaching carousel, receiving interest from West Virginia and North Carolina. But he opted to sign a contract extension and return to Tulane. The Green Wave were unable to hold onto him this year with the allure of the SEC.

Sumrall replaces Billy Napier, who was fired in October following a 3-4 start to the season. Napier went 22-23 in four seasons at Florida, including 12-16 in SEC play, but was just 5-17 against ranked opponents, including 0-14 away from The Swamp.

— On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this report.