Is Tulane Green Wave Head Coach Jon Sumrall a Flight Risk for Program?
The end of the Willie Fritz era for the Tulane Green Wave finished with a bang. After not winning more than seven games in his first six seasons at the helm, the team won double-digit games in back-to-back campaigns.
In 2022, they capped off a 12-2 season with a victory over the USC Trojans in the Cotton Bowl. Last season they won 11 games, losing in the Military Bowl to the Virginia Tech Hokies after Fritz left for the job at Houston.
The program was fortunate enough to poach Jon Sumrall away from the Troy Trojans to take his place.
A fast-rising coach, the Trojans found a ton of success under his watch.
In two seasons he went 23-4, including a victory in the Duluth Trading Company Cure Bowl over UTSA to close out the 2022 football season.
The Green Wave already has two losses this season, but that isn’t dampening the outlook. Sumrall knows a thing or two about bouncing back from two-loss starts, as Troy was 1-2 both seasons he was there.
In the competitive American Athletic Conference, Tulane certainly has a shot at winning the title to keep their chances of a College Football Playoff appearance alive.
If that level of success be found, should the school be worried about Sumrall jumping ship after one season? Adam Rittenberg of ESPN believes a power conference program could come calling sooner than later, especially if the success in the Sun Belt is carried over to the AAC.
“Sumrall has the look of a future SEC coach. The only question is: Would he make the jump so soon? He's only in his first season at Tulane after a 23-4 run at Troy that included back-to-back Sun Belt titles and a No. 19 AP finish in 2019. In theory, Sumrall, 42, could have stayed at Troy and vaulted directly to a Power 4 job. Instead, he returned to Tulane, where he was co-defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2014, and has a team that could contend in the AAC but already has two losses. Would Power 4 athletic directors still be fired up about Sumrall if Tulane goes, say, 7-5, especially with five years left on his deal? They should be. He's an excellent coach with experience at two SEC programs (Ole Miss and Kentucky) and deep roots in the South. "He's done a helluva job," an industry source said,” Rittenberg wrote.
It would be hard to envision Sumrall leaving after one season back in Tulane, but if the right job opens up, it would be difficult to turn it down. Having an opportunity to coach in the SEC, as Rittenberg suggested, would be one of those difficult-to-turn-down scenarios.
Of course, such a job has to open up. If they do, expect some tense times for the Green Wave athletic program. As the ESPN senior writer shared, he has an attractive resume and the kind of experience that a power conference looks for in a G5 coach.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.