Head football coach sets tone for gridiron glory

Get to know Jon Sumrall, Green Wave head football coach, who returns to Tulane ready to win more championships.

It’s August 2012, and a young coach by the name of Jon Sumrall is weaving in and out from among defensive players, shouting words of encouragement in preparation for the season’s first game. He’s demonstrating stances, explaining techniques and guiding them through strategies and schemes.

“I’m high energy. I’m going to push the guys hard. I want them to be as good as they can be. I want to see them have success and win. I want to see them play hard on every snap.”

Sumrall said those words in a get-to-know-you video while serving as co-defensive coordinator of the Tulane Green Wave. Twelve years later, he was speaking similar words, only now as Tulane’s 42^nd head football coach, the job he won on Dec. 8, 2023, following a national search after the departure of Willie Fritz to the Houston Cougars.

(Photo courtesy of Tulane University Athletics)

Character Counts

“We will develop men of character who will earn their degree,” Sumrall said. “They will win championships, and they will make a positive community impact at large. Winners win, and I’m a winner, and we’re going to win.”

He added, “If you’re juiceless, you’re useless,” almost immediately turning those five words into a “Juiced Uptown” marketing campaign.

Sumrall’s words were greeted with loud cheers among those gathered at the Jill H. and Avram A. Glazer Family Club Dec. 11, 2023, for his official introduction to the media and public. The New Orleans-style welcome party featured the Green Wave Brass Band, a second line and sparkly green and blue umbrellas. He was joined by his wife Ginny and four children, Sam, Sadie, Stella and Selah, along with extended family and friends. The standing-room-only crowd included several of his former Tulane players.

“We will develop men of character who will earn their degree. They will win championships, and they will make a positive community impact at large. Winners win, and I’m a winner, and we’re going to win.”

Jon Sumrall, Green Wave head football coach

As Sumrall spoke, he could barely contain his elation. For one thing, he was returning to the city where his twins, Sam and Sadie, were born. For another, he was taking the helm of a football program on the rise, not to mention at one of the country’s most prestigious academic institutions.

“This was the right opportunity for me at the right time,” said Sumrall, who spent the last two years as head coach at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. “Tulane is a world-class academic institution that pursues excellence in all things, including football. And I’m so honored to be the head coach.”

In welcoming Sumrall back to New Orleans, Tulane President Michael A. Fitts said the Green Wave football team is in very good hands, thanks to the search committee’s diligence. “Jon brings a wealth of experience and a profound understanding of what it takes to instill excellence and cultivate remarkable athletes and exceptional individuals, on and off the field. His track record speaks volumes.”

“Jon brings a wealth of experience and a profound understanding of what it takes to instill excellence and cultivate remarkable athletes and exceptional individuals, on and off the field. His track record speaks volumes.”

Michael A. Fitts, President of Tulane University

Green Wave Athletics Director David Harris, the Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair, said the search committee knew exactly what it wanted in the next coach, and Sumrall checked all the boxes. Topping the list was an experienced head coach with a proven record of success.

“We also wanted someone who demonstrated concern and love for student athletes,” Harris said. “We wanted someone who understood the importance of recruiting in the city, the state and the southeast. And we wanted someone with familiarity with New Orleans and Tulane. Jon Sumrall came to the very top of that list very quickly.”

Jon Sumrall holds whistle with players behind him

(Photo courtesy of Tulane University Athletics)

From Kentucky to Troy

Sumrall’s coaching career officially began in 2005 when he served as a graduate assistant for the Kentucky Wildcats. It began unofficially when, as a defensive back for the Wildcats, he would help teammates hone their skills. “I was almost like an extension of the coaching staff,” he said. Although a neck injury his junior year ended his football playing career, he already knew that he wanted to pursue coaching as a profession.

He made his way out west, serving as an assistant coach for the University of San Diego before returning to the south, where he had coaching stints at Ole Miss, Tulane, Troy and Kentucky. His dream of being a head coach was fulfilled in December 2021 when he was named head football coach of the Troy Trojans, where he amassed a 23-4 record from 2022 to 2023.

During that time, he guided Troy to two Sun Belt Conference championships and a pair of double-digit winning streaks. He was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year and was twice named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honor.

“We wanted someone who understood the importance of recruiting in the city, the state and the southeast. And we wanted someone with familiarity with New Orleans and Tulane. Jon Sumrall came to the very top of that list very quickly.”

David Harris, Tulane Director of Athletics

A NOLA Homecoming

Since his arrival in New Orleans, Sumrall has been reacquainting himself with the city and shouting “Roll Wave” every chance he gets. He has attended a Saints game and Pelicans and Tulane basketball games, eaten countless oysters, and served as honorary marshal in the Krewe of Freret Carnival parade along with Harris.

“It was so much fun,” Sumrall said of the parade. “I run three to five miles a day, but that didn’t prepare me for all the bending over I’d have to do to get to my throws. I woke up Sunday morning and my hamstrings really hurt.” He rested the remainder of the day but was already thinking about his invitation to ride in Endymion.

(Photo courtesy of Tulane University Athletics)

Sumrall knows that resting is a luxury in the life of a head football coach, with no time to waste in rounding out his roster for the 2024 season. He said the transfer portal and NIL — the right of college athletes to control and profit from their name, image and likeness — has changed the landscape of college football, and as a coach, he has had to adapt and evolve. So far, he said, he’s pleased with what he and his staff have accomplished.

Commitments from the portal include quarterback Ty Thompson, a University of Oregon transfer; Shazz Preston, a former 4-star wide receiver who transferred from the University of Alabama; and University of Southern California wide receiver Mario Williams. Besides their talent, Sumrall was impressed with their attitude.

“If a student-athlete wants to transfer, and the first thing they talk about is money and how much they can make, we’re probably not going to recruit you,” Sumrall said. “These three wanted to know more about their opportunity to grow and develop and would Tulane be the right fit for them.”

Team Building and Culture

One of Sumrall’s favorite things about being a coach, besides the game itself, is getting to know his players and their stories. “I love getting to know them on a deeper level than football,” he said. “What makes them tick? What matters to them? Their family background. I love the team building, the chemistry, the culture. It’s like a melting pot. We have people from all walks of life figuring out how to become one.

“I was in a place that I really loved when the opportunity at Tulane presented itself,” he added. “There were no red lights. The people here as a whole — Tulane, the city, everyone — have been so welcoming. It’s blown us away, and we’re thrilled to be here.”

One of Sumrall’s first orders of business was meeting with his team and sharing part of his coaching philosophy. “This is where it starts if you want to be great,” he said. “It doesn’t just happen. That’s not how it works. You don’t just wake up and say, ‘I hope we play good today.’ There’s a lot of work that goes into it, and it starts right now.”

By: Barri Bronston

Spring 2024