Florida coach Jon Sumrall donates $100,000 to Tulane’s NIL fund

Florida’s newly hired head coach, Jon Sumrall, has made it clear he intends to leave the Tulane program in a better place than he found it. 

After two seasons with the Green Wave, Sumrall is headed to Gainesville, though not before helping lead the program through the remainder of the 2025 season, with Tulane set to take on No. 6-seeded Ole Miss Saturday in Oxford in the College Football Playoff’s first round. 

Along with continuing to coach his team, unlike former Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, who’s now in Baton Rouge at LSU, Sumrall chose not to poach commits from Tulane ahead of Early Signing Day. 

“I Zoomed with my signees or my commits at Tulane, and I told them to sign at Tulane because I’m not trying to poach their class,” Sumrall said at his introductory press conference in Gainesville. “I want those guys to go play there.”

Now, Sumrall has taken another step in ensuring the Green Wave remain competitive after he’s no longer in New Orleans. 

Sumrall has donated $100,000 to the Green Wave Talent Fund in support of newly promoted head coach Will Hall. 

The six-figure gift to the Green Wave Talent Fund, Tulane’s associated NIL collective, will aid Tulane’s ability to recruit, retain, and develop collegiate athletes. 

“Tulane University and New Orleans are special to me and my family. Ginny and I are honored to support the Green Wave Talent Fund because we believe in the vision of Tulane Athletics and want to contribute to the continued success of its student-athletes. The future is incredibly bright, and we are excited for Will Hall and his family to be part of it,” Sumrall said. “Coach Hall possesses a keen understanding of Tulane University and its football program, along with a passion that greatly benefits the Green Wave. As a leader, he cares deeply about helping others reach their full potential and is dedicated to equipping them to achieve that goal in every way possible. He has our family’s full support, and we wish him nothing but success as he leads Tulane Football!”

It’s not the first time the Sumrall family has looked to invest in Tulane’s continued success; In 2024, they joined the Olive & Blue Society through a recurring philanthropic commitment to Tulane Athletics.

Sumrall’s high regard for the program is clear, and he’s taken another step to ensure the program won’t experience a significant decline now that he’s no longer leading the program. 

“We are grateful to Jon and Ginny for this incredible gift,” David Harris, the Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair, said in a statement. “Their leadership and generosity will have a direct and lasting impact on our student-athletes as we continue to grow and elevate Tulane Athletics.”