HC Jon Sumrall built a playoff contender at Tulane, and now he’s leaving. But before he heads to Florida, he has one final mission: finishing the job he started. Before the six-year, $44 million kicks in, the 43-year-old has the opportunity to show his loyalty to Green Wave. But the program did not wait for long and named passing game coordinator Will Hall as their next head coach.

This does create a unique dynamic. But Sumrall gets to stay on at New Orleans to enjoy the rewards of his hard work.

Jon Sumrall’s Status: Will Jon Sumrall Still Coach Tulane in the Playoff?

Tulane enters the first round of the playoffs, which is a massive feat for the program; it is the first time in its school history. Sumrall will coach the Green Wave in this momentous game against Ole Miss in Oxford. Both Tulane and Sumrall have patiently awaited this result for the past three years, so it’s natural that he gets to lead his own prized project. After Tulane defeated North Texas in the American Championship game, Sumrall made his intentions very clear.

“I’ve said it a lot. I think just as important, if not more important than how you start at a place, it’s how you finish,” he said in the post-game press conference. “I think in my introductory press conference two years ago I said, ‘We’re going to win the conference championship. We’re gonna go to the College Football Playoff.’ And I also said, ‘We’re going to win it,’ so we got work to do. Job’s not done.”

Jon Sumrall is actually having a gala time off the field, in both his jobs. He has brought in 14 prospects to Tulane and 18 to Florida during the Early Signing Period. He’s getting the best of both worlds at the moment.

Will Hall’s Hiring: What it means for Tulane’s postseason and beyond

Tulane might be in its best season ever. But it still had to look at someone capable enough to replace the phenom that Jon Sumrall was for the program. After sifting through some interesting candidates, Tulane has named passing game coordinator Will Hall as his replacement. He will take over after Sumrall wraps up his career at Tulane, which will meet its end after the playoffs. It takes a lot of pressure off the program and Hall, who struggled as head coach at Southern Mississippi.

Hall finished 14-30 with the Golden Eagles and was fired in 2024 after going 1-11 in the season. However, he’s been pretty successful in Division II football. Will Hall led West Georgia and West Alabama to the playoffs and semifinals, but lost in those games. He, however, was able to win 3 Gulf South Conference wins with them. Hall has been at Tulane before, coaching as OC during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. But the playoffs are too big a challenge to be handed off to him right now.

Tulane’s postseason chances amid the coaching transition

Ole Miss is the predicted winner in this clash. The Rebels also defeated Tulane earlier in the season, restricting QB Jake Retzlaff to just 56 yards. Jon Sumrall has a bigger chance of upsetting Ole Miss this time, since Lane Kiffin is no longer the HC. But OC Charlie Weis Jr. is staying on to lead the Rebels’ offense for this game, which will be a major hurdle for Sumrall. Jon Sumrall has a very clear memory of that disappointing loss from the regular season and is determined to right the wrongs.

“It was our worst performance of the year. Nothing that had to do with Ole Miss. A lot of it was self-inflicted. We have to play a lot better football this go-around,” Sumrall said in an appearance for ESPN’s CFP Selection Show on December 7.

The Rebels outshine the Green Wave in terms of talent potential. But the Green Wave, as underdogs, drowned conference leader North Texas in the AAC Championship game. But Ole Miss is far bigger an opponent than UNT. The Rebels have the 3rd-best offense in the country, led by trailblazing QB Trinidad Chambliss. Tulane was a major game for him, as he registered a brilliant 307 passing yards and 2 TDs. Such a big threat is best left to be dealt with by Jon Sumrall.

Fan and Media Reactions to Coaching Situation at Tulane

Will Hall will have to cover a steep climb to match up to Jon Sumrall as Tulane’s HC. His troubling record with the Golden Eagles has disappointed fans online.

“The guy that had USM 1-11 last year? RIP Tulane,” one fan wrote.

“Shameful and embarrassing hire. Why???? @DavidHarrisAD” another commented.

“And I thought JMU made a lame hire. Makes Napier look like a grand slam in comparison. At least he won at this level.”

There were rumors of LSU DC Blake Baker coming to Tulane amid the overhaul Lane Kiffin is orchestrating at Baton Rouge. Baker played for the Green Wave. However, he decided to stick with the Tigers. Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron was also reportedly a candidate for Tulane. Will Hall’s resume is nowhere near as stellar compared to these names.

But Hall has proven to be a great offensive coach for the Green Wave. As OC, Tulane’s offense finished 11th in rushing offense in the country. It also went over the 500-yard mark in 5 games under Hall’s leadership. But now, as HC, there are doubts about him being able to carry forward the momentum set by Jon Sumrall. We have to wait until next season to see if Hall’s familiarity with the program is of any benefit to the winning machine his predecessor built here.