The College Football Playoff stage was set, but Tulane’s postseason run ended almost as quickly as it began. The No. 11 seed Green Wave ran into a buzzsaw in No.
6 Ole Miss, falling 41-10 in a first-round matchup at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. And with that, Tulane’s dream season came to a close - not just on the scoreboard, but also with an emotional farewell.
This was the final game at the helm for head coach Jon Sumrall, who had already accepted the Florida job after guiding the Green Wave to an American Conference title and a spot in the expanded 12-team CFP. Saturday wasn’t just the end of a chapter for Tulane football - it was the end of an era for a coach who helped elevate the program to national relevance.
But the story didn’t stop at football. Just 48 hours before kickoff, Sumrall received devastating news: his father, George, had passed away at age 77. In the wake of a lopsided loss and the end of his Tulane tenure, Sumrall stood in front of his team and reflected on something much bigger than the game.
“My dad had been facing some struggles for a while, and my mom is tough as nails,” Sumrall said postgame. “I told her she didn’t have to come to the game, but she said she wouldn’t miss it.”
It was a moment of raw humanity in a sport that often moves too fast to pause. Sumrall spoke candidly about the man who shaped him, not just as a coach, but as a person.
“It’s been hard. I’m a lot of who I am because of how he raised me… I can smile knowing I am going to live a life that honors my dad,” he said.
And then, in a line that blended grief with a touch of humor, Sumrall added: “He’s probably got some questions about how we played, just like I do. I just don’t have to hear them tonight from him. I’m sure I will hear them from my mom, though.”
It was a poignant end to a whirlwind week - one that saw Sumrall juggle the weight of personal loss, professional transition, and the pressure of a College Football Playoff appearance. Tulane’s season may have ended with a tough loss, but the legacy of what this team accomplished under Sumrall won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
For the Green Wave, the road ahead will be about regrouping and building on a foundation that’s been solidified over the past few seasons. For Sumrall, the next chapter begins in Gainesville. But on this night, in Oxford, Mississippi, the scoreboard told one story - and the man on the sideline told another.