On the third episode of The Program, Woj sits down with Tulane Football Head Coach Jon Sumrall to discuss his approach to roster building in the NIL era—balancing the transfer portal, constant roster churn, and the pursuit of a winning culture. Coach Sumrall shares why he separates coaching players from coaching dollar amounts, how he rewards good players who are good people, and why he’s comfortable operating in the chaos of modern college football.

Some of the topics covered:

High School Recruiting as a Foundation: How traditional recruiting remains central while the portal supplements it.

Balancing Winning and Culture: The tension between winning now and building a lasting culture

Rewarding Good People: Why character still drives his roster decisions.

Separating Money and Performance: Why Sumrall prefers not to know what players earn.

Timestamps:

2:00 – Sumrall’s formula for roster building at Tulane

4:50 – Balancing competitiveness with culture

7:44 – Rewarding good players who are good people

12:33 – Limiting a coach’s exposure to player earnings

16:23 – The future of non–Power Four college football

We’ll see you next week for episode four of The Program.

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