Seldom do we get feel-good stories out of the Group of Five conference, but when we do, it’s always an incredible story of grit, desire, and performing despite all odds. Last year, Boise State showed just that and produced one of the best running backs in college football, Ashton Jeanty. The team made it to the playoffs and showed how even teams with fewer resources exceed expectations and dream big. So, walking in Boise State’s footsteps, there’s one other team that is knocking on the playoff door for 2-3 years, and guess what? This time, despite a massive mass exodus, their head coach, Jon Sumrall, is showing incredible desire to finally break that door open.

Yes, we are talking about the AAC’s Tulane Green, who finished 9-5 last season. While that may not be a record to even land them in a 16-team playoff, the record was still positive. Why? Because the team was already performing well under their previous head coach, Willie Fritz, who led the team to an 11-3 season in 2023 and a record-breaking 12-2 season in the year before that. However, when Willie Fritz decided to exit the program, it was expected that the team would fall back to having losing seasons; however, that didn’t happen.

Their new head coach, Jon Sumrall, arrived on a $3 million annual deal and held his ground, leading the team to a respectable 9-5 finish. The man even guided Tulane to their third consecutive AAC championship game last year. So, in terms of first-season evaluation, Sumrall passed with flying colors, but now comes the actual challenge in the second season. And it’s not looking easy, to be honest.

Tulane lost some of its key players in a major mass exodus, and that makes the job quite challenging. For context, Darian Mensah transferred to Duke and took with him the 2,723 passing yards he produced last year. Then there was the loss of their ace running back, Makhi Hughes, who went to Oregon after running for 1,401 yards last season.  Other players like Mathew Fobbs-White (transferred to Baylor), Caleb Ransaw, and Sumrall’s two starting CBs, including Rayshawn Pleasant, transferred. This makes the job tough for the head coach. But Sumrall remains undeterred.

Speaking to On3’s Pete Nakos, Jon Sumrall talked about why the exodus is a part of the job and will be dealt with like all the challenges that come with a new season. “That’s just the nature of the beast. And some things are challenging and maybe at times frustrating, but it doesn’t do any good for me to whine or complain about it. It’s our job to put the best team together we can every year, and then let the chips fall where they may in the games and compete to go win every game you play.” Moreover, it looks like Sumrall is doing just that this off-season.

The Tulane Green head coach has managed to produce a class that is ranked 3rd in the AAC. Not just that, Sumrall has also roped in 26 transfers from the portal, potentially mitigating the effects of the departures. Among these transfers are some of the most talented names, like Omari Hayes (590 yards), who will be a solid replacement for wide receiver Mario Williams. Then there is Kadin Semonza, coming from Ball State, who had 2,904 passing yards last season. He will undoubtedly be a solid replacement for Darian Mensah. Other players like Justyn Reid, coming from Southern Miss, will provide some level of production in the tight end spot. All in all, the job Sumrall is doing is incredible, and that’s the reason he is getting offers too from some ‘power’ schools. But will he accept any of them?

Poaching by ‘power’ teams a distraction for Jon Sumrall?

This past off-season, as per ON3’s reports, at least three power schools approached Jon Sumrall for the job. Many reports also indicated that Sumrall was one of the hottest names for several coaching jobs in the country. However, the head coach was just getting started at Tulane and didn’t want these distractions. So, he eventually blocked out all the noise and hinted towards unfinished business in Tulane.

“The question comes up, ‘Coach, how long do you see yourself here? What does the future look like for you here now?’ Well, look, here’s the good news. Tulane has made a long-term commitment to me being here, and that means a lot to me. When I chose to come here was because I thought some things that made sense for me, professionally, and also for my family, my wife, and my kids. I’m very happy here,” said the head coach to On3’s Pete Nakos.

Being focused on the job is tough in a group of five teams since ‘power’ teams with vast resources always poach players and coaches from the G-5 counterparts. Thankfully for Sumrall, he has not lost his core coaching staff; OC Joe Craddock and DC Chris Hampton are still there. The loss of the players transferring out will surely hurt. But the head coach seems ready to navigate that part of the job efficiently.