Kevin Sumlin is returning to college football, joining Mike Locksley’s staff at Maryland as associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, the school announced Wednesday.
Sumlin was the head coach/general manager of the USFL’s Houston Gamblers last season and had three different stints as a college head coach at Houston, Texas A&M and most recently Arizona.
Sumlin, 58, was named Texas A&M’s coach in its first season in the SEC in 2012, and his quarterback, Johnny Manziel, went on to win the Heisman Trophy that season. The Aggies finished 11-2, beat No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa and Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. Sumlin was 51-26 in six seasons at Texas A&M, but was fired when the Aggies finished the 2017 regular season with a 7-5 record. Sumlin finished .500 or better in SEC league games all but one season during his time in College Station.
Sumlin was 35-17 during his four seasons as Houston’s coach, including a 12-1 record in his final season in 2011. He was 9-20 in his three seasons at Arizona from 2018-20.
Sumlin, a 32-year coaching veteran, shares a close relationship with Locksley, who enters his fifth season at Maryland and has led the Terps to back-to-back winning seasons after the program suffered through six straight losing seasons from 2015-20. Sumlin played linebacker at Purdue and has coached in four of the five Power 5 conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC). His overall head-coaching record is 98-70.
