Florida football filling out coaching staff with more hires from Tulane
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New Florida football coach Jon Sumrall is filling out his coaching staff with more hires from his prior employer.
According to multiple reports, Sumrall is set to hire Tulane outside linebackers coach Bam Hardman as outside linebackers coach, Tulane special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante as special teams coach, Tulane co-offensive coordinator Evan McKissack at tight ends coach and Tulane strength coach Rusty Whitt as special teams coach.
The moves come a day after Tulane lost 41-10 at Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff on Saturday, December 20.
Hardman is a former Florida Gators standout and team captain in 2002 who in a 17-year coaching career coached the defensive line at Troy (2015-24) before moving on with Sumrall to coach outside linebackers with the Green Wave (2024-25).
McKissack was the former offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Tulane from 2024-25. Prior to that, he coached tight ends at Troy (2022-23) and Murray State (2020-21).
Galante was a Broyles Award nominee in his lone season as Tulane's special teams coach in 2025, leading a unit that earned multiple American conference honors.
Tulane kicker Patrick Durkin was named the American Conference’s Special Teams Player of the Year, after connecting on 24 of 27 field goals during the 2025 season. Durkin also tied fifth nationally with 66 touchbacks in 77 kicks.
Tulane punter Alec Clark led the American Conference in punting with 46.82-yard average on 45 punts. Both Durkin and Clark earned first-team, All-AC conference honors, while TJ Smith earned third-team All-AC honors as a return specialist and Jason Arredondo earned third team, All-AC honors at long snapper.
Prior to Marshall, Galante spent three seasons at Marshall's special teams coach (2022-24). In Galante's first season at Marshall, the Thundering Herd finished with a pair of blocked kicks and a blocked punt, which Dainsus Miller recovered for a touchdown.
Whitt served as strength and conditioning coach under Sumrall at both Tulane and Troy. Prior to that, Whitt had stints as a head strength coach at Louisiana (2010-15) and Texas Tech (2016-18). From 2003-09, Whitt took a break from his strength and conditioning coaching career to serve in the U.S. Army as a communication sergeant in the 10th Special Forces Group in the Middle East.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football set to hire more coaches as Jon Sumrall fills out staff
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