Tulane coach Sumrall mourns father's death on eve of CFP debut; remains to lead Green Wave

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall revealed that his father, George, died in his sleep Thursday night at age 77 after lengthy health issues, hours before the Green Wave’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff. In a message posted to social media, Sumrall said his father was a fighter and offered a tribute to the man who helped shape his approach to faith, grit, hard work, attitude and service. "God gave us more time with my dad than we thought we would get," Sumrall wrote. "Dad was a fighter. I learned so much from him ... being a man of faith, grit, hard work, attitude, service and more." He also noted that his father was healthy enough to be in attendance for Tulane’s American Conference championship-clinching win, a 34-21 victory that capped the Wave’s season.

George Sumrall was able to attend the recent news conference where Jon was introduced as the next head coach of the University of Florida, the notes say. In a separate arrangement, Tulane and Sumrall reached an agreement allowing him to remain as head coach through Tulane’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. Sumrall closed his message with a final tribute: "Love you always Dad!"

Tulane (11-2) will travel to Oxford, Mississippi to face Ole Miss (11-1) in the first round of the playoff. The winner advances to play No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The matchup pits a Tulane program making a historic push with Sumrall at the helm against a longtime rival in Ole Miss, and it comes at a moment when Sumrall has acknowledged his family’s loss while emphasizing that he will continue to lead the Green Wave through the postseason.

The notes accompanying the report add context about how Tulane is handling the situation compared with other coaching transitions in the region. The account contrasts Tulane’s decision to retain Sumrall through the CFP with Ole Miss’s experience surrounding Lane Kiffin’s reported departure to LSU, though it stops short of drawing direct parallels to the competitive landscape or implying any immediate changes to Tulane’s postseason staff. Regardless of those dynamics, Tulane’s preparations for the semifinal bid proceed with Sumrall guiding the team on the field and in the locker room.

As Sumrall and Tulane navigate this emotional moment, the program aims to honor George Sumrall’s influence by continuing to execute with the discipline and resilience he championed. The Green Wave will need that focus to meet Ole Miss and then, potentially, Georgia, in what would become Tulane’s most landmark postseason run in school history.