Tulane Head Coach Jon Sumrall Gets Snubbed in Analyst's Award Predictions
The Tulane Green Wave are one of the hottest teams currently in college football.
They are steamrolling whichever opponent is in front of them, dominating in every facet of the game.
Offensively, running back Makhi Hughes is carrying the load on the ground, and redshirt freshman quarterback Damian Mensah is getting better with each contest, adding to the offense with his legs after already showing incredible efficiency through the air.
Early in the season, there were some issues that needed to be ironed out defensively.
Head coach Jon Sumrall wanted things cleaned up, and as the year has worn on, the players have certainly responded.
During their eight-game winning streak, the Green Wave have scored 34-plus points in all but one of these contests. The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and North Texas Mean Green were the only teams to lose by single digits, both by eight points.
Over the last three games, against the Charlotte 49ers, Temple Owls and Navy Midshipmen, only one touchdown has been allowed by the defense. Their depth has really shined through, as the early-season preparation is paying off with guys healthy and still performing at a high level.
In his first year with the program after two seasons as head coach of the Troy Trojans, Sumrall is making quite a name for himself.
He deserves a lot of credit for keeping the positive momentum going that was built by Willie Fritz, who left to become the head coach of the Houston Cougars.
However, to this point, it isn’t enough for him to be named the Coach of the Year in the American Athletic Conference according to Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated.
That distinction has been bestowed upon Army head coach Jeff Monken.
Still, there is a chance for Tulane's head man to win the award when it's all said and done.
All his teams do is perform on the field, which should help the Green Wave continue to knock on the door of the College Football Playoff this year based on their latest ranking.
This performance will also likely put him squarely on the radar of major conference teams, prompting them to come calling sooner rather than later given his track record.
"You want a rising star in the coaching profession? Sumrall has been a head coach for three seasons and has advanced to the league championship game every time—twice at Troy in the Sun Belt, and now in his debut at Tulane," wrote Forde.
He has been an incredible fit in New Orleans, as his team has an outside chance of participating in the CFP if everything goes right.
The Green Wave will need a little bit of help in achieving that goal, but as long as they keep handling business and winning football games, all of the pressure will be on the committee to make an excruciating decision.
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.