On Friday afternoon, Jon Sumrall was announced as the new head coach of the Tulane Green Wave football program. Sumrall had spent the previous two seasons as the head coach of the Troy Trojans, were he won back-to-back Sun Belt championships. With Sumrall's departure, Troy defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato has been named the Trojans' interim head coach.
Former Tulane head coach Willie Fritz was hired by Houston a few days ago. Slade Nagle will coach the Green Wave in the Military Bowl later this month.
"I would like to thank Coach Jon Sumrall for his exemplary commitment to excellence these past two seasons leading our storied football program to back-to-back championships," Troy Athletic Director Brent Jones said in a statement on Friday.
"Troy University, thanks to our incredible university leadership, has a proven track record of unwavering commitment to success and invests heavily in the development of our student-athletes. With a Sun Belt leading eight conference championships, 10 or more wins in five of the last eight seasons, a forthcoming indoor practice facility and cementing our status as a leader in our conference in commitments to our coaches and student-athletes. We look forward to identifying the next leader of our program who will continue our trajectory as the premier football program in the Sun Belt. Our process will be thorough and comprehensive as we select our program's next head football coach."
Gasparato will lead Troy in the Birmingham Bowl against Duke on December 23. Trooper Taylor will also be an interim head coach for the Blue Devils after Mike Elko took the open job at Texas A&M. Per Troy Sports Information, it will be the first bowl matchup ever between a Sun Belt team and a Power Five team.
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