I'm continuing to drop some posts evaluating guys on my radar who could potentially be the next guy for VT. This is my sixth post.
This week: Jon Sumrall
Who is Jon Sumrall?
Jon Sumrall is the 42-year-old head coach at Tulane who has quickly established himself as one of the most coveted names in college football. The Huntsville, Alabama native is 32-9 in his first three seasons as a head coach (23-4 at Troy, 9-5 at Tulane), with three consecutive conference championship game appearances and two Sun Belt titles to his name.
After a career-ending neck injury as a linebacker at Kentucky, Sumrall has methodically climbed the coaching ladder from graduate assistant to defensive coordinator to one of the most respected young head coaches in the sport. His first season at Tulane produced the fourth-best season in program history since 1979, and he's currently 5-1 in 2025 with the Green Wave ranked 22nd in the AP Poll.
He's won everywhere, at every level, throughout his career
Unlike many coaching candidates who had one magical season before getting hired, Sumrall has a sustained track record of winning spanning nearly two decades. At Troy, he posted back-to-back Sun Belt Championships in 2022 and 2023, going 23-4 overall. His 2022 Troy team finished ranked in a major poll for the first time in program history (#19 AP, #20 Coaches), and he was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year.
Before becoming a head coach, Sumrall's defenses consistently ranked among the nation's best. At Troy as assistant head coach in 2017, the Trojans' defense ranked first nationally in red zone defense and seventh in rushing defense while notching an upset victory at LSU. As Kentucky's co-defensive coordinator in 2021, he helped guide the Wildcats to a 10-3 record and a top-25 ranking.
He mobilized Tulane's donor base like few coaches can
Within months of arriving at Tulane, Sumrall helped catalyze one of the most significant NIL fundraising efforts in Group of Five football. Tulane athletics received a transformative $3.5 million gift from longtime supporters Don and Lora Peters to launch the Green Wave Talent Fund, replacing an outside collective with university-controlled NIL operations.
This was the result of Sumrall's ability to articulate a vision and mobilize support. The Peters' gift came after Tulane announced a major shift to in-house NIL fundraising, and their donation served as the launching point for the new system. For Virginia Tech, which desperately needs to upgrade its NIL infrastructure, hiring someone who has demonstrated an ability to inspire major donors could be transformative.
He's proven he can use the transfer portal effectively
Sumrall has demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of how to leverage the transfer portal for program building. He brought multiple players with him from Troy to Tulane, including cornerback LJ Green and defensive back Dorion Jackson, demonstrating loyalty to his players while also ensuring he had known quantities in key positions.
Beyond bringing his own players, Sumrall aggressively recruited the portal to fill needs. USA Today ranked Tulane first in the American Athletic Conference after spring drills despite returning just five starters—a testament to Sumrall's work in the portal. He brought in quarterback Ty Thompson (Oregon), wide receiver Shazz Preston (Alabama), and wide receiver Mario Williams (USC), among many others.
This isn't just throwing darts at the portal—it's strategic roster management that Virginia Tech desperately needs.
He has legitimate SEC coordinator experience
Unlike many Group of Five coaches who have never worked in a Power 4 conference, Sumrall spent the 2018 season as linebackers coach at Ole Miss and returned to his alma mater Kentucky in 2019 as inside linebackers coach before being promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2021.
At Kentucky, the 2019 defense kept every opponent at or below 30 points—the first time the Wildcats had done that since 1979. In 2021, his linebackers Jamin Davis and DeAndre Square were two of the team's top tacklers, with Davis becoming a first-round NFL Draft pick. Kentucky's defense ranked 25th nationally in 2021 and helped the Wildcats finish 10-3.
This SEC experience matters. Sumrall understands the recruiting landscape, the level of talent required, and the week-to-week grind of competing in a major conference. He's not coming from the Group of Five level cold—he's been tested at the highest level of college football.
Lane Kiffin thinks he'll be an SEC head coach in 2026
During the SEC coaches teleconference ahead of Ole Miss playing Tulane, Kiffin predicted, "I feel like I'm going to be in head coach's meetings in the conference—I think our first one is in January—with Coach Sumrall." I know that Lane is Lane, but it's still high praise from one of college football's more successful coaches.
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg agrees, stating "I'd be a bit surprised if he's not leading an SEC program in 2026 or shortly after." The buzz around Sumrall is real, and Virginia Tech would be competing with SEC programs for his services.
The competition for Sumrall will be fierce
Here's the uncomfortable reality: Virginia Tech likely isn't Sumrall's top choice if multiple jobs open up. After the 2024 season, Sumrall received interest from multiple Big 12 schools and North Carolina—with UNC botching what should have been a golden opportunity to land him—before he signed a contract extension with Tulane instead.
If his alma mater Kentucky opens up (which seems increasingly likely given Mark Stoops' struggles), that job would be extremely attractive to Sumrall. If Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, or other SEC programs come calling, those would almost certainly rank higher than Virginia Tech. The question isn't whether Sumrall is qualified—it's whether Virginia Tech can convince him that the ACC provides a better path to success than waiting for an SEC opportunity.
With Virginia Tech's new $229 million athletics investment, the program can now offer competitive compensation. But Sumrall is making close to $3 million annually at Tulane with a six-year deal and a recently signed extension. Money might not be the primary factor—opportunity and trajectory matter more.
Why Sumrall makes sense for Virginia Tech
Despite the competition, Sumrall checks every box Virginia Tech needs:
- Proven winner at multiple stops with sustained success (not a one-hit wonder)
- Experience mobilizing donor bases and building NIL infrastructure
- Demonstrated mastery of the transfer portal for roster construction
- SEC coordinator experience that translates to ACC recruiting and competition
- Defensive expertise that could stabilize VT's biggest weakness
- Still young enough (42) to build a program for the long term
If Virginia Tech moves quickly, articulates a compelling vision around the new athletics investment, and demonstrates that the ACC path to the playoff is legitimate, Sumrall could be interested. But waiting too long or being outbid by an SEC program would likely result in Virginia Tech missing out on one of the best young coaches in college football.
The realistic assessment
Let's be honest: Jon Sumrall is an enormous stretch for Virginia Tech. He's the type of candidate that SEC programs will aggressively pursue, and he has every reason to wait for one of those opportunities rather than jumping to an ACC program facing conference instability. But Virginia Tech has to take its shot.
Sumrall is the type of home-run hire that could completely transform the trajectory of the program. He's proven he can win, he can recruit, he can manage the modern game, and he has Power 4 experience. With the new investment, VT can at least shoot it's shot without getting immediately mutumbo'd. The question is whether that's enough to overcome the allure of the SEC. If Napier and Freeze somehow retain both their jobs, VT may just get lucky.
Given that he's 5-1 at Tulane and ranked 22nd in the country (at time of writing), Sumrall is in no rush to leave. If VT announces Sumrall as the next head coach, it would be one of the biggest coups in program history (second to Whit convincing Bud to stay on as DC after refusing to give him an interview for the Head Coaching job), but landing him will require perfect timing, an exceptionally compelling pitch, and probably more than a bit of luck. Still, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, and Virginia Tech needs to swing for the fences on this one.
