Florida hands out six-year deal to make Sumrall next HC

Jon Sumrall. Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Florida hands out six-year deal to make Jon Sumrall next head coach

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Nov 30, 2025 11:54 AM ET

The college football coaching carousel is alive and well on Sunday.

Just minutes after it was announced that Alex Golesh would be heading from South Florida to Auburn, another major SEC coaching move was announced.

From New Orleans to Gainesville

According to ESPN's College Football insider Pete Thamel, the Florida Gators and Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall are in agreement on a six-year deal to make Sumrall the newest head coach for the Gators.

The deal is expected to pay Sumrall nearly $7.5 million per year as well as significant incentives tied to College Football Playoff appearances.

Sources: Florida is finalizing a six-year deal to make Tulane’s Jon Sumrall the head coach at an average of nearly $7.5 million per year, with significant incentives tied to the College Football Playoff. Sumrall is 42-11 in four seasons as a head coach. pic.twitter.com/woryZCvedm
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 30, 2025

Bad timing?

It had become clear over the weekend that Florida would be heavily targeting Sumrall. The problem is, Tulane is set to host North Texas on Friday in the AAC Championship game.

A win for Tulane in that game would put the Green Wave into the College Football Playoff for the first time in the school's history.

Similar situation to Lane Kiffin

Much like the Lane Kiffin saga, it is currently unclear whether or not Sumrall will be coaching in the conference championship and even further if Tulane makes it into the CFP.

If he is not able to coach the remainder of the season, it would feel like an absolutely devastating end to the season for a Green Wave team that put together one of the most successful seasons in the history of the program.

It would further prove that the signing day/transfer portal schedule is beyond broken and needs adjusting so coaches don't have to leave their teams before the end of a successful year.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

More must-reads: