Tulane Green Wave Coach Sumrall Praises Talent Level of AAC
Even with this being head coach Jon Sumrall's first year at the helm for the Tulane Green Wave, thus marking his first season in the American Athletic Conference, he is no stranger to the Group of Five.
Sumrall signed on as head coach of the Green Wave after spending his first two years as skipper of the Troy Trojans, a team that calls the Sun Belt Conference home.
While many look down on the Group of Five teams, calling them lesser than and seeing them as nothing more than the little brother of the Power Four, Sumrall had high praise for the AAC this week.
"Like everybody in this league's got players at certain spots and everybody may have a different strength, but man, these guys are littered with Power Four transfers in the roster," Sumrall told SI, "I mean you look across the board, it's like we're playing a Power Four team that is in our conference."
The inception of the transfer portal has made that the case throughout collegiate athletics in recent years, perhaps even more so with the massive roster sizes of college football programs.
Sumrall said that even his secondary was singing the praises of the talent the UAB Blazers had matching up with them in their blowout win.
"Look, I go back to UAB. Their receiver room I thought was elite going into the game. I left the game and you ask our guys that play slot corner for us play nickel for us, our spears, they would tell you those guys at slot were dangerous."
It is a much different landscape in college football now than it once was, as many players transfer year in and year out, and the Group of Five teams are all the better for it.
"So the league's very challenging week in, week out. There's no layup," added Sumrall on the strength of the AAC.
Sumrall has seen success in all three years of his tenure as a head coach, winning the Sun Belt Championship in each of his two seasons with the Trojans, and he has Tulane on track to continue that trend with the dominant performances they have shown throughout the 2024 campaign.
While on paper, their matchup against the Charlotte 49ers on Thursday should not be competitive, if you ask Jon Sumrall, there is no layup in the Group of Five.
Ever the consummate professional, Sumrall continues to prove his worth to yet another burgeoning Group of Five program.
