Sumrall’s Transition to Florida Delayed as Tulane Wins AAC Title
On Monday, Florida introduced Tulane coach Jon Sumrall as its next football head coach. But Sumrall didn’t stay in Gainesville long — boarding the same plane he arrived on later Monday and flying back to New Orleans, where he and the Green Wave prepared for their American Conference title game against North Texas.
On Friday, No. 20 Tulane (11-2) hosted No. 24 North Texas with not only a conference championship up for grabs, but a spot in the College Football Playoff. After falling behind 7-0, Tulane scored 24 unanswered points to close out the first half. With a four-score lead in hand, the Green Wave put a stranglehold on North Texas and ultimately won the game 34-21 to become the first team to officially clinch its spot in the CFP.
It’s Tulane’s first American conference title since 2022 and Sumrall’s third conference championship in four years, dating back to his time at Troy.
With Tulane’s season not over yet, Sumrall’s time with his current team will run longer, as Florida is allowing Sumrall to finish the season before making the full-time transition to the Gators’. With all the craziness of handling two programs, Sumrall is finding the calm amidst the chaos, and his Green Wave players have shown their gratitude toward finishing the job with Sumrall.
“There’s nobody else in the country I want to lead this team right now,” Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff said postgame. “This guy has been unbelievable. The joke’s on me that it took him two times to get me. What he’s done for this team, the way he gives it every day, we’re blessed to have him to lead us. He has given the program to us, so we’re indebted to him to go finish the job. It’s not taken lightly on our side. He deserves to go coach wherever he wants to go coach. We’re never going to have a team like this again. We’re never going to have a coach like this again.”
Retzlaff’s comments jarred a heart-filled response from Sumrall.
“Jake’s going to make me cry,” Sumrall said.
Tulane will not play again until Dec.19 or the next day, as the team’s opponent will not be revealed until the full playoff bracket is announced on Sunday. In the meantime, Sumrall will continue juggling double duties.
On one hand, getting Tulane ready for a postseason run and on the other hand, managing a new program where roster retention becomes his biggest priority heading into the offseason.Florida did a solid job during the early national signing period by retaining 15 of 18 Florida commits and getting an additional commitment on Thursday.
“Roster building. It starts with our current team. I just got the chance to meet with those guys. Retention in these days of the college football world is the most important thing to build a team,” Sumrall said. “We need those guys to stay, and that’s the first recruiting effort I have.”
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
