Florida set to hire Jon Sumrall as new head coach, per report
By David Wasson
Published:
The Florida Gators continued the poaching of Group of 5 coaches on Sunday morning, reportedly tapping Tulane coach Jon Sumrall to replace Billy Napier in Gainesville.
The Athletics’s Bruce Feldman reported that Sumrall chose Florida over the opening at Auburn and potentially the one at Ole Miss should Lane Kiffin follow through with his departure to LSU.
Sumrall, 43, has been a Group of 5 star the past 4 seasons – first coaching Troy to 23 wins and back-to-back Sun Belt titles in 2 seasons and then leading Tulane to 19 wins in 26 games and back-to-back American Conference championship game appearances.
It is unclear whether Sumrall will coach the Green Wave in Friday’s American title game against North Texas (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
Sumrall replaces another former Group of 5 coach in Napier, who went 40-12 in 4 seasons at Louisiana from 2018-21 before being hired by Florida to replace Dan Mulllen in Gainesville. That same success didn’t follow Napier to Florida, however, as he went 22-23 overall and 12-16 in 4 seasons with the Gators before being fired Oct. 19 following a home victory against Mississippi State.
Napier’s .488 winning percentage was the worst by a Florida coach during their tenure since Raymond Wolf, who coached from 1946–49.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
