Tulane has promoted assistant coach Will Hall to head coach as the program prepares for its first College Football Playoff appearance. Hall replaces Jon Sumrall, who will depart for Florida but remain on the sideline through the postseason.
Hall returned to New Orleans this season as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, after previously serving as Tulane’s offensive coordinator from 2019–20 and spent four years as head coach at Southern Mississippi. His ties to the program, relationships within the locker room, and extensive experience made him the leading internal option once Sumrall’s exit became imminent. ,” Hall said in a statement: “I’m truly honored to accept this opportunity to serve as Tulane’s head football coach. Tulane has been a special place for me. I’ve felt the unique spirit of Tulane and the strength of its culture. I’m excited to lead this program with a deep respect for its history, its people and the city of New Orleans. Together, we’ll build on our success and continue to embody the resilience, pride, and excellence that make Tulane and this community so extraordinary.”
The 45-year-old Hall brings a decade of head-coaching experience, including successful postseason runs at West Alabama and West Georgia and a 38–24 bowl win at Southern Miss. Though his final season in Hattiesburg ended with a midyear dismissal, Hall holds a combined 70–50 record across his head-coaching stops. Hall’s résumé also includes stops at Memphis and Louisiana, where he helped engineer high-powered offenses. At Memphis in 2018, he contributed to a unit that set school rushing records and ranked in the national top 10 in several major categories.
Tulane’s athletic director David Harris said: “We are thrilled to select Will Hall to be our head coach. His character, integrity, and leadership qualities are evident both on and off the field. With extensive head coaching experience and a proven track record of success at every level, Will embodies the qualities we value in our program. We believe he is the right person to lead Tulane Football into its next chapter.”
President Michael A. Fitts echoed that sentiment, noting the momentum across the university’s academics, research, and athletics, while chief operating officer Patrick Norton praised Hall’s alignment with Tulane’s expectations for student-athlete success.
Tulane enters the College Football Playoff as the No. 11 seed and will face No. 6 Ole Miss on Dec. 20 in Oxford, Mississippi. Sumrall will coach through the postseason, after which Hall officially assumes control of a program riding historic momentum.
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