Florida staffer leaving for on-field position at Tulane, per report
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Jon Sumrall spent his first few months as the Florida Gators‘ head coach yanking coaches from other institutions for his staff. On Monday, his old stomping grounds reportedly returned the favor.
According to FootballScoop’s Scott Roussel, Tulane is hiring Eric McDaniel as its defensive line coach. McDaniel, whose last collegiate gig was as Appalachian State’s defensive line coach in 2024, was initially hired by Sumrall to be the Gators’ assistant defensive line coach. But after further consideration, McDaniel has decided to coach for Jon Sumrall‘s Green Wave successor, Will Hall, instead of the man himself.
McDaniel and Sumrall worked together at Troy from 2022-23. Together, they led the Trojans to a 23-4 record. Their success landed Sumrall the Tulane job and enabled McDaniel to join the Mountaineers.
The Green Wave defensive line job opened up on Feb. 24, when Landius Wilkerson left Tulane for Arkansas. Filling that spot roughly one week later, with someone who was set to be part of an SEC staff — and had an established track record of success with the head coach of that school — is a major coup for Hall ahead of his first season in New Orleans.
Tulane’s College Football Playoff berth in 2025 helped Sumrall snag the Florida job when the season concluded. Hall is likely hoping to make a similar rise in the years ahead with a CFP berth himself. However, the odds of that CFP appearance coming in 2026 are slim. Kalshi doesn’t consider the Green Wave to be among the top 40 CFP contenders this year. Tulane’s first chance to prove its doubters wrong and chase another bid comes on Sept. 5 at Duke.
