Mountaineers Now

WVU Head Coaching Candidate to Stay Put at Current Job

Wren Baker's list continues to shrink.

Schuyler Callihan

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
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Another name can be crossed off for West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has informed school officials that he is not pursuing any Power Four coaching jobs this cycle.

For confirmation, Sumrall quoted Thamel's tweet with a GIF from the Wolf of Wall Street where he says, "I'm not leaving!"

Sumrall has done a tremendous job in his three years as a head coach, split between Troy and Tulane. He went 23-4 in two years at Troy and had the Trojans ranked as high as 19th in the AP Top 25 poll. The Green Wave currently sits at 9-4 and just played in the American Athletic Conference championship game, where they lost to Army.

Sumrall was a coach of interest in West Virginia's search due to his ability to coach defense at an elite level. In all three seasons he's been a head coach, his team's defenses have finished inside the top 15 nationally.

With the news of Sumrall staying put, Jacksonville State's Rich Rodriguez and Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki appear to be in a good spot to land the job. Others are still being considered and an announcement is expected to be made in the coming days.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Publisher of Mountaineers Now on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. Lead recruiting expert and co-host of Between the Eers, Walk Thru GameDay Show, Mountaineers Now Postgame Show, and In the Gun Podcast.

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