Florida hires Jon Sumrall: Gators turn to Tulane coach after falling out of Lane Kiffin sweepstakes

Florida has hired Tulane's Jon Sumrall as its next football coach, the school announced on Sunday. The move ends a search that focused on Lane Kiffin before it became apparent that staying at Ole Miss or moving to LSU were Kiffin's top choices. Sumrall's deal with Florida is for six years and $45 million, according to ESPN. 

After amassing a 42-11 record over his first four seasons as a head coach at Troy and Tulane, Sumrall represents a promising consolation prize for the Gators. The Huntsville, Alabama native was also a candidate for the Auburn job.

"The University of Florida is one of the premier programs in college football, and it's an incredible honor to serve as the head football coach," Sumrall said in a statement. "I believe in building a team rooted in toughness, accountability and a relentless competitive spirit. Florida has everything necessary to compete at the highest level—the resources, the support, the tradition and the passion of Gator Nation. My family and I are excited to get to work.

"One of my first priorities will be to assemble an incredible staff, including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn't optional – it's mandatory!"

Florida fired Billy Napier in October following a 3-4 start to his fourth season. The 43-year old Sumrall will be Florida's fifth head coach since Urban Meyer's departure following the 2010 season. 

"Jon Sumrall is a proven winner and an exceptional leader who has built successful programs at every stop," Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said. "He brings tremendous energy, strong recruiting relationships across our footprint, and a philosophy rooted in toughness, discipline and player development. He will cultivate a daily culture of competitiveness, accountability and winning that drives success on the field and throughout our program. Jon fully understands the expectations at the University of Florida, including our expectations to produce championship teams that feature a dynamic offense, and we're excited to welcome him and his family to Gator Nation.

"Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has done it," Stricklin said. "He joins rare company—coaches like Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Willie Fritz—who've delivered immediate success at multiple stops. Jon's track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes."

A former star linebacker at Kentucky, Sumrall has reached the conference championship game in each of his four seasons as a head coach. Sumrall's 2025 Tulane team is No. 22 in the CFP Rankings and clinched its spot in the American title game by improving to 10-2 (7-1 AAC) with a win over Charlotte on Saturday. Florida announced in the release that Sumrall will guide Tulane through the remainder of its run -- which could include a CFP appearance. 

Fit at Florida

Sumrall was courted by West Virginia during last year's coaching carousel but chose to remain with Tulane in a move that looks particularly wise now. Florida is one of several SEC posts that emerged as a potential destination for Sumrall in this cycle. As a former Ole Miss assistant, he would have been a potential fit with the Rebels. 

Given his deep ties to Kentucky, he surely would have been been pursued by the Wildcats in the event of a coaching change there. He was strongly linked to the opening at Auburn, too, before becoming the focus of Florida's search. While Sumrall may not have been the Gators' first choice, he accepted the Florida job as a man with options.

Florida's last SEC Championship came in 2008, and the Gators have finished with a losing record in four of the past five seasons. Sumrall's track record of immediate success in new jobs bodes well for the Gators' aspirations returning to the SEC's ruling class. His outward intensity and defensive background also represent a change in style for Florida, whose last two coaches -- Napier and Dan Mullen -- were offensive minds with more relaxed public demeanors.

Sumrall's track record

Sumrall brings SEC experience as both a player and assistant. After leading Kentucky in tackles during the 2004 season, Sumrall was diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis and transitioned into a graduate assistant role for the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

He worked at the FCS level at San Diego from 2007 to 2011, starting as a position coach before rising to become the defensive coordinator. He then worked as an assistant at Tulane (2012-14), Troy (2015-17), Ole Miss (2018) and Kentucky (2019-21) before landing his first head coaching job at Troy in 2022.

Kentucky ranked fourth in the SEC in total defense during the 2021 season when Sumrall was the program's co-defensive coordinator. Though he comes from a defensive background, Sumrall's teams have typically been well-rounded. The Green Wave tied for second in the American in yards per play at 6.7 last season while dominating opponents in time of possession with the best non-service academy rushing attack in the AAC. 

Tulane finished with a top 25 scoring offense and defense last year. His 2023 Troy team was led by a 3,500-yard passer in Gunnar Watson. Sumrall's 2025 team has been less statistically dominant than his 2024 team, but the squad has provided evidence of Sumrall's coaching acumen.

The Green Wave recovered from the transfers of star quarterback Darian Mensah and first-team all-AAC running back Makhi Hughes to earn victories over Power Four foes Northwestern and Duke in the season's first three weeks. Those victories set Tulane on the path toward its current status as the Group of Five's highest-ranked team.