Who Will Fill the Void Left by Jon Sumrall?
The coaching carousel has been in full swing these past few weeks with a hefty amount of firings and hirings. One of them is Tulane's own Jon Sumrall, who has just been hired as the next head coach of the University of Florida. So with that, what's next for the Wave?
The Options...
When it comes to hiring a coach, we can't simply just go with "who has the most success?" Brian Kelly's recent tenure at neighboring school, LSU, is a testament to that question. The Wave will not just need success, but a nice cultural fit for not just Tulane, but the city of New Orleans itself.
We believe it's worth mentioning that TU athletic director David Harris brought to light the pre-requisites that Tulane would look at when hiring their next coach, "Those who have head coaching experience will probably have a leg up, but ultimately, when you're looking at the big picture, we're going to keep our options open."
LSU Defensive Coordinator, Blake Baker
Baker has been in the coaching sphere for a little over a decade, tracing back to his Bulldog days at LA Tech in 2014. He would serve as their defensive coordinator in 2015, before leaving for the same job at the University of Miami in 2019.
Baker would serve two separate stints at LSU. Once in 2021, where he was a linebackers coach, but he would not be retained by Brian Kelly, forcing him to leave for an in-conference opponent, Missouri.
He would serve first as Missouri’s safeties coach before being transferred to the defensive coordinator position after Steve Wilks’ leave.
His second stint at LSU came just this past year, 2024, when he was hired as the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator. He’s led his defense to solid numbers despite his counterpart’s horrendous offensive production.
The Tigers rank 15th in points per game (19.1), 27th in yards per game (330.5), and 30th in yards per play (30th). These are impressive defensive rankings for a school that has to put up with SEC competition year-in and year-out, competing against the likes of Alabama and Ole Miss every year, making these numbers pretty impressive.
Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator, Shiel Wood
Wood controls one of the most suffocating defenses in college football currently. Tech ranks sixth in the country in total defense, first in rushing defense, and third in scoring. They've allowed 258.9-yards, 68.9-yards, and a measly 11.25-points per game respectively.
Wood's blood ran green at some point, as he was the defensive coordinator for the Wave during the Fritz era in the 2023-2024 season. Not to mention that he was also coach Sumrall's defensive coordinator when he was a head coach at Troy.
Proven success and a previous connection to Tulane could spell an equation of success if TU were to pull the trigger on Wood.
Houston Offensive Coordinator, Slade Nagle
Sticking with the Fritz era, we move to the current Houston Offensive Coordinator, Slade Nagle. Nagle held the O-Coordinator position at Tulane during the Fritz era, and even served as the interim Head Coach of Tulane during their 2023 Military Bowl appearance against Virginia Tech.
Before he was an O-Coordinator, he served as Tulane's tight ends coach from 2016-2022 before being promoted to the OC and QB coach positions during the 2023 tenure.
Keeping the hires tied to Tulane would do a lot for the Wave, as familiarity with the program can provide a huge advantage with adapting to the change in positions.
Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator, Mike Denbrock
Continuing down the line of success, you'll find nothing short of it at Notre Dame. After leading his offense to a national championship appearance last year, Mike Denbrock continues to lead the charge with his offensive ranking second in points per game (42.0), twelfth in yards per game (459.8), and third in yards per play (7.3).
It's also worth mentioning that before his tenure at ND, he was LSU's OC from 2022-2023. This would place him on that high-octane offense courtesy of Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, Kyren Lacy, Kayshon Boutte, and Brian Thomas Jr.
Given his proven success with his offenses, we see this hire as an absolute plus for the Wave's front office.
Oregon Offensive Coordinator, Will Stein
Will Stein has served as Oregon's OC since 2023. While Stein has been with the Ducks, the Oregon has finished at #8 and #1 in the previous two years respectively, and they currently sit at #6 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Oregon currently sits with a top offense in the country, ranking in the top 15 in four categories: points per game (12th), yards per game (10th), yards per play (6.9), and rushing yards per game (13th).
Stein is a proven OC, but OC's don't always pan out at the head coaching position. Despite that, we believe Stein to be a top candidate for the head coaching position at Tulane. His achievements at his previous school UTSA and currently at Oregon are just too hard to ignore when looking for a qualified candidate.
Colin has been following football for over a decade. Growing up supporting LSU naturally led him to be a massive Saints fan. He is a regular guest on the Ball Don’t Lie podcast on WBOK-AM in New Orleans as well as Apple Podcasts, where they discuss the NFL, College Football, and the NBA.