Tulane played like a team already wondering where Jon Sumrall is headed next

The Coaching Carousel is in full effect as every weekend sees a big-name Head Coach fired, setting us up for one of the wildest offseasons we've seen in a long time. The programs that fired their head coach aren't the only ones feeling the ripple effect, as for every open job, there are anywhere from 5-10 rumored candidates for the job.

One of the names that's becoming popular in plenty of coaching searches is Tulane Head Coach Jon Sumrall. After an incredible job at Troy, followed by a solid job keeping Tulane rolling after Willie Fritz left for Houston, has made Sumrall the top candidate to jump to the Power 4.

Between open jobs at LSU, Arkansas, Florida, and jobs that may open in the near future in Kentucky and Auburn, Sumrall appears poised to jump to the SEC. The issue is that Sumrall still has a season to focus on as his Green Wave entered the weekend 6-1 with a 3-0 record in the American.

This week, the talk around Jon Sumrall reached a new level with LSU opening up as the media asked about the distraction, to which he said the following.

"There's no distractions. I'm all into Tulane. I'm so focused on this team. It's the only team I'm coaching, is Tulane… UTSA has 100% of my focus."

Jon Sumrall

While Jon Sumrall said he wasn't distracted, it was clear on Thursday Night that the Green Wave wasn't a focused team. The Green Wave fell into a 31-12 hole at the half, and it proved to be far too big a deficit for them to climb out of.

Jake Retzlaff was benched in the 3rd quarter as he threw a pair of interceptions, completing 50% of his passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback change proved to be the right move as Brendan Sullivan went 6-6 passing for 63 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Jimmy Calloway threw the best pass of the night.

While the offense struggled in this game, Jon Sumrall's defense played shockingly badly, costing Tulane the game. The Green Wave allowed Owen McCown to go 31-33 passing for 370 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 1 of his 2 drops coming on a dropped pass. The Road Runners held the ball for just under 37 minutes, which made it impossible for the Green Wave to get back into this game.

Jon Sumrall has to go back home and get his team to regroup as this loss stings, but all of their goals are still attainable. At 3-1 in league play, this team could still win the American and play for a chance to make the College Football Playoff. The outside noise will be loud, but Sumrall only gets one of these big jobs if his team finishes the season with a great record.