Florida has hired Tulane's Jon Sumrall as the next head coach of its football program, the university announced Sunday. The Green Wave head coach is replacing former UF head coach Billy Napier, whom UF fired mid-season.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reports that Sumrall's six-year contract will have an annual salary of nearly $7.5 million, with significant incentives tied to the College Football Playoffs.

Sumrall will remain with Tulane through the end of its season, which includes next week's AAC Championship Game and a potential College Football Playoff appearance. 

"The University of Florida is one of the premier programs in college football, and it's an incredible honor to serve as the head football coach," Sumrall said Sunday. "I believe in building a team rooted in toughness, accountability and a relentless competitive spirit. Florida has everything necessary to compete at the highest level—the resources, the support, the tradition and the passion of Gator Nation. My family and I are excited to get to work."

Sumrall will have an offensive coordinator

The new coach also is familiar with Gator Nation's unhappiness with his predecessor, Billy Napier, who was criticized for his play-calling and resistance to hiring an offensive coordinator.

"One of my first priorities will be to assemble an incredible staff, including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn't optional – it's mandatory!"

"Jon Sumrall is a proven winner and an exceptional leader who has built successful programs at every stop," UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said. "He brings tremendous energy, strong recruiting relationships across our footprint, and a philosophy rooted in toughness, discipline and player development. He will cultivate a daily culture of competitiveness, accountability and winning that drives success on the field and throughout our program. Jon fully understands the expectations at the University of Florida, including our expectations to produce championship teams that feature a dynamic offense, and we're excited to welcome him and his family to Gator Nation.

"Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has done it," Stricklin said. "He joins rare company—coaches like Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Willie Fritz—who've delivered immediate success at multiple stops. Jon's track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes."

Sumrall has a strong recent history as the head coach at Tulane the past two years and as the head coach at Troy for two years before moving to New Orleans. Sumrall has earned appearances in the conference championship game in each of his four seasons. The Gators have reached the Southeastern Conference Championship Game only once in the past 10 years.

For the second consecutive time, UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin is hiring from a Group of 5 school, with Napier having moved to Florida from the University of Louisiana. That similarity may be a knock on Sumrall within UF's fan base, but his track record at the G5 level has been impressive.

Sumrall is 42-11 in four combined seasons at Tulane and Troy, including a 10-2 regular season at Tulane in 2025 following the Green Wave's win over Charlotte on Saturday night. Those 2025 results have No. 23 Tulane squarely in the College Football Playoff picture — a place the Gators have never been since it was introduced in 2014. 

His background is defense

In one way, Sumrall marks a change at UF in terms of his coaching background. A former University of Kentucky linebacker, Sumrall has spent his career coaching the defensive side of the ball, unlike UF's past two coaches. He has entrusted his offenses to qualified offensive coordinators, while his defenses have consistently performed well, if not always at an elite level.

Tulane's notable wins this year were over Duke, Memphis, and Tulane, while the Green Wave dropped a 45-10 decision in September to Ole Miss and former UF coaching candidate Lane Kiffin. 

Sumrall has never been a head coach above the G5 level, but he has four years of experience as a position coach in the SEC — as linebackers coach at Ole Miss in 2018 before returning to Lexington as inside linebackers coach in 2019-20 and the co-defensive coordinator in 2021.

From UK, Sumrall was hired as Troy's head coach for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He won the Sun Belt in both years. He then took the Tulane job and led the Green Wave to a 9-3 regular season in 2024 before losing the AAC Championship Game and the Gasparilla Bowl to finish 9-5 overall. It is unclear if Sumrall will coach Tulane in this year's AAC Championship Game.

Florida is expected to publicly announce the hire this week, ahead of the transfer portal opening and early signing day.

Gators also hire a GM 

Sumrall will get some professional help in building a roster.

Dave Caldwell, formerly the general manager of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and more recently a senior personnel director with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, will become the Gators' GM.

It is expected that Caldwell will help Sumrall navigate the NIL deals and revenue sharing that are staples of the current college athletics environment.

SEC coaching carousel

Sumrall is the latest domino to fall in the SEC job market.

Auburn officially announced USF's Alex Golesh as its new head coach this afternoon.

Multiple reports have said Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield is leaving for the same position at Arkansas.

Meanwhile, Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss finally reached a resolution. He is taking the LSU job and will not coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoffs.

And Ole Miss quickly named defensive coordinator Pete Golding as their new head coach.