There have been 30 head coaching changes at various FBS schools this season — with a few more vacancies left to fill — including the Florida Gators, who traded in an old and busted Billy Napier for a fresh new Jon Sumrall.
While it is still far too early to judge these hires, given that most still have to flesh out their coaching staffs and nobody owns a crystal ball, ESPN’s college football expert Bill Connelly recently took the time to grade and rank the current cohort of coaching changes. In his column, the Orange and Blue’s new skipper was given an “A” grade, stating that “this just makes all the sense in the world” while ranking fourth overall.
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“The dirty little secret about Tulane this season is, the Green Wave weren’t actually great at anything. Sumrall had to rebuild a healthy portion of his depth chart after last season’s nine-win campaign, and he ended up starting a quarterback (Jake Retzlaff) who arrived in July,” Connelly begins.
“But through sheer will and adaptability, his team won 11 games and an American Conference title. That’s three conference titles for Sumrall in four years as a head coach. He can put together teams and units with outstanding talent, but even when he doesn’t, he finds a way to win.”
Sumrall transformed both Troy and Tulane into consistent winners, compiling a 52-11 record across four seasons split between the two as the head coach. He went 23-4 in two years at Troy, winning a Sun Belt title and earning 2022 Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors; he amassed a record of 29-7 at Tulane, including a top-25 finish and another conference championship appearance.
ESPN’s ranking of every college football hire in the 2025 cycle
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A+ (probably the best job available, filled by the best available coach)
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A (this just makes all the sense in the world)
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(2) James Franklin, Virginia Tech
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(3) Eric Morris, Oklahoma State
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(5) Jim Mora, Colorado State
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(6) Mark Carney, Kent State
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(7) Matt Campbell, Penn State
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(8) Charles Huff, Memphis
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A- or B+ (perfectly sensible)
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(10) Will Stein, Kentucky
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(11) Collin Klein, Kansas State
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(13) Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State
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B (don’t absolutely love it but won’t be surprised if it works out)
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(15) Pete Golding, Ole Miss
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(16) Morgan Scalley, Utah
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(17) Tosh Lupoi, California
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(18) Kirby Moore, Washington State
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(19) Billy Napier, James Madison
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(20) Neal Brown, North Texas
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(21) JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State
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(22) Brian Hartline, South Florida
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(24) Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas
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(25) Ryan Beard, Coastal Carolina
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B- or C+ (I understand, but I’m not totally sure I agree)
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(26) Tavita Pritchard, Stanford
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C (are you sure about this?)
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(29) Blake Anderson, Southern Miss
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(30) Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football’s Jon Sumrall among highest-ranked head coach hires
