Tulane's Tsunami
It was official: After eight seasons, the Willie Fritz era at Tulane University was over. Behind the scenes, individuals were performing their due diligence. A short list had been curated, and, five days later, on December 8, 2023, Tulane had found their guy.
The prestigious university inked a six-year deal with Troy University's Jon Sumrall—Tulane's next head football coach. The 42nd in their program's history.
Coach Sumrall spoke on his courtship: "In our profession, things come up and you have an idea something can come up, even ahead of the call. There was a lot of things that made sense for myself professionally and my family. From a professional standpoint: excitement, a commitment to playing high-level football, and there's a family personal side to it to live in New Orleans. Just excited about what the whole picture would be."
For the previous two seasons, Jon Sumrall, the former Kentucky linebacker turned coaching phenom, had led Troy to a formidable 23-4 record while racking up two back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships. The Trojan's trophy case at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama was boasting some impressive new hardware. Word was getting around that Coach Sumrall was the real deal. Prior to his hire, Troy had experienced three losing seasons. The turnaround was evident. This was a man who simply understood what it took to win. And winning was no longer the goal for the Green Wave—it was the expectation.
Coach Sumrall has his work cut out for him. The football program he inherited alongside newly hired athletic director David Harris was eons ahead of the team he served on as co-defensive coordinator from 2012-2014. While Coach Sumrall cut his teeth under then-head coach Curtis Johnson, the Green Wave accumulated a total of 12 wins in three seasons, ultimately going 3-9 in 2014 before Sumrall returned to his native Alabama as the top defensive assistant under Neal Brown at Troy.
End of an Era
Two seasons later in 2016, when Willie Fritz officially manned the helm at Yulman, he inherited a Tulane football team that had only seen two bowl games since 1999. Eight seasons later, at 54-47 and on the heels of an 11-2 regular season, he departed as the second-most winningest coach in Tulane's vaunted 130 year history.
On December 3, 2023, a then 11-2 Tulane football team huddled once more, patiently awaiting their bowl game fate following a crushing defeat on their home field, Yulman Stadium, not even a full 24 hours prior.
The impact is significant, the residual hangover freshly loomed like blanket coverage on a failed go route. A 26-14 loss at the hands of a dogged Southern Methodist University Mustangs football team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship Game. The team settled in, flat screen televisions flickered on—coming to life. An eager, anxious silence was replaced with ESPN's bowl selection broadcast.
During the broadcast, breaking news would reverberate throughout the college football world. The impossible to avoid, swirling rumors were true. Tulane football head coach Willie Fritz would be leaving New Orleans for its Gulf Coast counterpart as head coach of the Houston Cougars—an opening in a role perfectly tailored for his continued professional aspirations, as well as his life off the field: upgraded facilities, closer to family, and an offer he couldn't, shouldn't, and didn't refuse.
His tenure was ultimately punctuated by one of the most historic Cotton Bowl comebacks in college football history. Late in the fourth quarter, down 15, Michael Pratt-led Tulane scored 16 unanswered points in the final 4:03 of regulation to upset eventual #1 NFL Draft pick Caleb Williams and the University of Southern California Trojans. Olive green and sky blue confetti fell from the rafters onto the stunned crowd of 55,329 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A victory the Tulane faithful will never forget.
"One of the great things is the culture of winning [at Tulane under Coach Fritz] has already started," Coach Sumrall said. "The winning mindset is a part of what they were doing."
The Jon Sumrall Era is Here
"Winners win, and I'm a winner, and we're going to win." Jon Sumrall didn't mince his words upon taking the podium for his introductory presser as Tulane's head football coach. The moxy demonstrated from the former Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year has permeated the fanbase. The same fanbase that, not even a year ago, was naturally and rightfully dejected upon discovering their beloved head coach was moving on when many believed they were only beginning to scratch the surface of something special in New Orleans. That now feels like another lifetime ago.
"We need [fans] at our games. We need them to show up and support our team," Coach Sumrall said about the fans. "The crowd, the energy, and the stadium make a difference, and I don't think there's a better time to be a fan of and support Tulane football. You got a really good product on the field coaching-wise and player-wise, and, on top of it all, the experience at Yulman Stadium and on campus. What that experience is like and college football's comradery and pageantry, it's important for anyone who has an interest in Tulane to come and watch a really fun football team, not travel far, and do it in a cool venue. We need our fanbase to show up and be supportive."
The emotional tides have turned. Make no mistake about it, the Green Wave are already rolling. It's time for Coach Sumrall to turn that wave into a tsunami. It's time to win.
