Florida hiring Tulane's Jon Sumrall as next Gators head coach
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After coaching against the Florida Gators last season, Tulane’s Jon Sumrall will lead the team next year. UF is hiring Sumrall as the program’s 31st head coach, which was first reported by On3.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Florida is finalizing a six-year deal with Sumrall that will pay him average of nearly $7.5 million per year, with significant incentives tied to the College Football Playoff.
The current expectation is Sumrall will coach in the American Conference title game against North Texas, per On3’s Pete Nakos.
Gators Online first reported Florida’s interest in Sumrall on Nov. 19 and then that the school had zeroed in on him Friday after shifting its focus away from Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.
The 43-year-old Sumrall is 42-11 in his four years as a coach. He has the Green Wave at 10-2 this season and ranked No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings. He went 9-5 last year and faced the Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl.
RELATED: What new Florida head coach Jon Sumrall brings as a recruiter
Jon Sumrall went 23-4 in two seasons at Troy with back-to-back Sun Belt titles. He led the Trojans to a 12-2 record in 2022 — earning Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors — and an 11-2 mark the following year before taking the Tulane job.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Sumrall was a linebackers coach in the SEC at Kentucky (2019-21) and Ole Miss (2018). He was also an assistant at Troy (2015-17) and Tulane (2012-14) and San Diego (2007-11).
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Sumrall was a three-year letterwinner at Kentucky and played linebacker from 2002-04. He started every game as a senior and led the team with 72 tackles. He completed his bachelor’s degree in finance in 2005.
The Huntsville, Alabama native was a two-time all-state performer and a four-year letter winner at Grissom High School. He was inducted into the Huntsville-Madison County Hall of Fame in April 2023.
Sumrall is married to the former Ginny Nixon, also of Huntsville, and the couple has four children, Sam, Sadie, Stella and Selah.
RELATED: Charting Jon Sumrall’s coaching career
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