JON SUMRALL

One of the most respected recruiters in the country, Jon Sumrall was named Troy’s football head coach on December 2, 2021. Sumrall returns to Troy after spending three seasons (2015-17) as the assistant head coach on Neal Brown’s staff.

Recently promoted to co-defensive coordinator on Mark Stoops’ staff at Kentucky, Sumrall coached the Wildcats’ inside linebackers for the squad that finished the season with a 10-3 record and ranked as high as No. 22 in the country. Kentucky finished second in the SEC East, marking the first time since the league split into divisions in 1992 that UK ended the season in sole possession of second place in the East. The Wildcats allowed 17 or fewer points in seven of its 12 games in 2021 and held No. 1 Georgia to its second-lowest offensive output of the season.

Kentucky finished with the nation’s No. 25 defense in addition to ranking third in fourth-down defense, 20th in rushing defense and 13th in defensive touchdowns.

During his tenure at Troy, Sumrall helped lead the Trojans to a pair of bowl victories, the school’s first since 2010, the 2017 Sun Belt Conference title, and a stunning victory at LSU. The Trojans won a school-record 11 games in 2017, and the Troy defense ranked first in the nation in red zone defense (.614), second in tackles for loss per game (8.6), seventh in rushing defense (105.3), 11th in scoring defense and 24th in total defense per game (336.6).

In his first season at Troy, the Trojans finished with the second-best turnaround nationally in opponent 3rd-down percentage (14.62 percent), the fourth-best turnaround in yards per play allowed (-1.13), the fifth-best improvement in tackles for loss per game (2.59) and 16th-best improvement in total defense (-62.7).

Troy held opponents to 391.2 yards per game, an improvement of 62.8 yards from the previous season and under 400 yards for the first time since the 2008 season. The Trojans scored five defensive touchdowns, the third-most in the country and most by a Troy team since 2004.

Troy finished the 2016 season 10-3 with a victory in the Dollar General Bowl, the first top-25 ranking in school and Sun Belt Conference history and the best win-improvement in the country. The Trojans finished the year second nationally in passes intercepted, fourth in turnovers forced, 17th in rushing defense, 21st holding opponents to 22.1 points per game and 28th in third-down defense.

Sumrall departed Troy for Ole Miss before the 2018 season and returned to his alma mater in Lexington, Kentucky the following year.

Sumrall oversaw an effective four-man rotation at the middle and weakside linebacker positions in his first season at Kentucky. UK’s defense kept every opponent at or below 30 points, the first time the Wildcats have done that since 1979. UK ended the season with a thrilling win over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, UK’s fourth straight bowl appearance.

Sumrall’s starting linebackers, Jamin Davis and DeAndre Square, were two of the top three tacklers in 2020, combining for 162 total tackles. Davis made a significant impact under Sumrall’s tutelage, making 144 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five interceptions, three pass break ups, three quarter-