Florida Adds Evan McKissack as Tight Ends Coach, Reuniting Him with Jon Sumrall
The Florida Gators are bolstering their coaching staff with a familiar face to head coach Jon Sumrall. On Tuesday, Sumrall officially announced the hiring of Evan McKissack as Florida’s new Tight Ends Coach - a reunion that brings a proven offensive mind to Gainesville after a successful run together at both Troy and Tulane.
McKissack has spent the last four seasons working alongside Sumrall, most recently serving as Tulane’s Co-Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach. His impact in New Orleans was clear: Tulane’s offensive line was among the best in the country in 2025, finishing the regular season ranked sixth in sacks allowed (10) and seventh in tackles-for-loss allowed (48). That kind of pass protection and run blocking consistency doesn’t happen by accident - it’s a testament to coaching, preparation, and execution.
And it wasn’t a one-year fluke. In 2024, Tulane’s line ranked eighth in tackles-for-loss allowed and 24th in sacks allowed. Sustained success like that is what programs crave, and it’s exactly what Florida hopes to replicate.
“Coach McKissack is an innovative football mind,” Sumrall said. “He brings experience coaching tight ends, offensive line, running backs, and special teams. He’s going to be invaluable to our staff.”
That versatility is what makes McKissack such a compelling hire. He’s not just a position coach - he’s a developer of talent and a builder of units.
Look no further than the work he did with Tulane guard Shadre Hurst, who earned First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors this past season. According to Pro Football Focus, Hurst ranked sixth nationally in pass blocking (89.6) and seventh in both run blocking (81.8) and overall grade (81.0).
Oh, and he didn’t allow a single sack in 435 pass-blocking snaps. That’s elite.
Tulane’s offense under McKissack wasn’t just efficient - it was explosive and balanced. In his first year with the Green Wave, the team led the AAC in third-down conversions (52.5%), completion percentage (65.6%), and scoring offense (37.2 points per game).
Nationally, they ranked fourth in third-down percentage, seventh in yards per completion, and eighth in passing efficiency. That’s the kind of offensive profile that wins championships - and in 2025, Tulane did just that, capturing the AAC title and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.
It’s no coincidence that McKissack’s teams have been consistent winners. From 2022 to 2025, his squads at Tulane and Troy made four straight conference championship games, collecting two Sun Belt titles and one AAC crown along the way.
Now, he brings that pedigree to The Swamp.
“Extremely thankful to Coach Sumrall for this opportunity,” McKissack said. “He’s a great leader and a winner.
Our tight ends will play with an edge - physical, tough, disciplined, and detailed. This is Florida - and our goal is to be in Atlanta every December and competing for national championships.”
Before Tulane, McKissack served as Tight Ends Coach and Director of Offensive Recruiting at Troy, where he helped lead the program to 23 wins over two seasons - tied for third-most in the country during that span. Only Georgia, Michigan, and Washington had more. Troy and Michigan were the only teams to win back-to-back conference titles in those two years.
His tight end room at Troy made history, setting program highs in receptions, receiving yards, and tying the mark for touchdown catches by the position. That same season, the Trojans cracked the AP Top 25 (No. 19) and Coaches Poll (No. 20) for the first time ever, and even earned a College Football Playoff ranking (No.
24). That’s the kind of trajectory Florida is hoping McKissack can help reproduce.
McKissack’s coaching journey has been all about development. At Murray State (2020-21), he coached tight ends and running backs, helping Damonta Witherspoon to back-to-back All-America and All-OVC honors.
Witherspoon rushed for 912 yards and eight touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2021, after leading the team in rushing during the shortened 2020 season. Under McKissack, Murray State posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2011 and led the OVC in scoring offense his first year.
His coaching career began at the high school level in Alabama and Georgia, where he helped Colquitt County win a 6A state title and a national championship in 2015. From there, he joined Kentucky as a graduate assistant from 2017 to 2019, working under John Schlarman - the same coach who mentored McKissack during his playing days at Troy.
At Kentucky, he helped coach five future NFL draft picks along the offensive line, including Luke Fortner and Darian Kinnard. The Wildcats played in a bowl game each season during his stint, highlighted by a Citrus Bowl win over Penn State and a No. 14 finish in the final CFP rankings in 2018.
As a player, McKissack embodies the classic underdog story. A former walk-on at Troy, he climbed the depth chart to become the Trojans’ starting center and an All-Sun Belt selection.
Undersized at 5-foot-10 and 256 pounds, he still graded out as the team’s top lineman his senior year, allowing just 0.2 sacks and racking up 27.5 knockdown blocks. He brought grit, intelligence, and leadership to the field - the same traits he now instills in his players.
McKissack graduated magna cum laude from Troy with a degree in math education and later earned a master’s in sport leadership from Kentucky. He and his wife, Erica, have two children - a daughter, Arya, and a son, Riley.
For Florida, this hire is about more than just coaching tight ends. It’s about building a championship-caliber staff with coaches who know how to win, how to develop players, and how to elevate a program. With McKissack on board, the Gators just got a little tougher - and a lot more dangerous.