Blog Article
Tulane Just Made The College Football Playoff. Then They Hired A Coach Who Went 14-30 And Was Fired Mid-Season.
Is This a Good Hire?
The Short Answer: No.
Tulane just went from one of the best Group of Five coaching situations in America to hiring a coach who was fired mid-season after going 14-30 at Southern Miss.
Let that sink in.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Will Hall’s FBS head coaching record is brutal:
Southern Miss (2021-2024)
- Overall: 14-30 (.318)
- Home: 8-19 (.296)
- Away: 5-16 (.238)
- vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-4 (.000)
- Late Season: 5-9 (.357)
The only bright spot? A 7-6 season in 2022 that included a LendingTree Bowl win. Everything else was a disaster. Hall was fired seven games into 2024 after a 1-6 start.
Now compare that to Jon Sumrall’s career:
Sumrall Career Record: 32-10 (.762)
- At Tulane: 9-5 (.643)
- Home: 17-5 (.773)
- Away: 14-3 (.824)
- Late Season: 11-4 (.733)
The drop-off isn’t subtle. It’s a cliff.
The “Continuity” Argument
Here’s what Tulane is selling:
Hall knows the building. He was the offensive coordinator under Willie Fritz in 2019 when Tulane set multiple school records. He’s back on staff as pass-game coordinator. He won’t bolt after one good season. He’ll keep the system running.
There’s some logic here.
Back-to-back coaching departures (Fritz to Georgia Tech, now Sumrall to Florida) have created genuine instability. An internal hire preserves scheme, culture, and recruiting relationships during a CFP run. Hall genuinely does have Tulane ties and likely is less likely to leave than a hot external name.
But here’s the problem:
Being loyal and being good aren’t the same thing.
What the Record Shows
Hall’s 2019 Tulane offense was legitimately excellent, top-25 nationally in rushing and total offense, school records falling left and right. He can clearly call plays and develop quarterbacks at the coordinator level.
But FBS head coaching is a different job entirely.
At Southern Miss, Hall couldn’t:
- Win on the road (5-16)
- Compete against ranked teams (0-4)
- Close out seasons (5-9 late)
- Build any sustainable momentum after 2022
The one outlier season (7-6) looks more like a blip than proof of concept. The year before was 3-9. The year after was 3-9. Then 1-6 before the firing.
Fan Sentiment Is Brutal
This isn’t a case where analytics nerds are upset, but the fanbase is excited.
The Tulane fanbase is angry.
The dominant reaction across social media, message boards, and podcasts is “deflated and confused.” National observers are calling it “the worst hire of the cycle.” Fans are openly questioning whether AD David Harris made a cheap, small-time decision at the exact moment Tulane finally had leverage.
The optics are terrible:
- AAC champions
- First-ever CFP berth
- Program at an all-time high
- Hire a guy who was fired mid-season with a .318 winning percentage
That’s not how you capitalize on momentum.
The Process Grade
Here’s how this breaks down for Coaches Hot Seat purposes:
| Category | Grade | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Résumé | D | 14-30 at Southern Miss, fired mid-season. The FBS head coaching track record is disqualifying. |
| Fit | B+ | Knows Tulane, knows the system, knows the city. Won’t leave. The continuity case is coherent. |
| Process | C | Internal hire looks budget-conscious, not ambitious. Fanbase is booing on Day 1. |
| Ceiling | TBD | Has never proven he can sustain success at FBS level. Coordinator success doesn’t guarantee HC success. |
Overall: C-
The Bottom Line
Tulane made a continuity bet that looks dramatically misaligned with where the program actually is.
This is a school that just made the College Football Playoff. That’s a program with real leverage—the ability to attract a rising coordinator from a Power Four school, a hot Group of Five name, someone with actual FBS head coaching wins.
Instead, they promoted a coach with a .318 FBS head-coaching record who was literally unemployed two months ago after Southern Miss fired him.
The fit case is coherent. The résumé case is mind-boggling.
Tulane’s AD spent a considerable chunk of goodwill to hire a coach his own fans are booing on Day 1. That’s not how you build on historic success. That’s how you risk giving it all back.
Hall’s Pressure Status
Starting Pressure Level: HIGH
He inherits a CFP roster but enters with:
- Zero credibility cushion from his FBS head coaching record
- A skeptical-to-hostile fanbase
- Immediate expectations to maintain what Sumrall built
- Questions about whether he can close games, win on the road, or beat good teams
Year 1 needs to be 8+ wins minimum to quiet the noise. Anything less, and the “we told you so” chorus will be deafening.
The margin for error here is essentially zero.
