Arizona lost to rival Arizona State 70-7 on Friday night to fall to 0-5 on the season, and that has cost coach Kevin Sumlin his job as the school announced on Saturday that it has dismissed Sumlin after his third season on the job. Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads will serve as interim coach.
Sumlin was 9-20 in his three seasons in Tucson and lost 12 straight games dating back to last season. The Wildcats' last win under Sumlin came on Oct. 5, 2019 when they topped Colorado 35-30. Overall, the Wildcats have regressed in each of Sumlin's three seasons at the helm. They finished the 2018 season at 5-7, 4-5 in the Pac-12 and finished tied for third in the Pac-12 South. They only won four games, including two conference matchups, last season before the seven-game losing streak to close out the 2019 campaign.
Sumlin took over the program after Rich Rodriguez and the Wildcats parted ways following the 2017 season. He had immediate success at Texas A&M during its first season in the SEC when the Aggies went 11-2 and quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. The Aggies didn't finish higher than fourth in the SEC West during Sumlin's final five seasons in College Station, however, and he was dismissed following the end of the 2017 regular season.
Prior to Texas A&M, Sumlin posted a 35-17 record at Houston from 2008-11. He is 95-63 in 13 seasons as a head coach.
