University of Maryland head football coach Michael Locksley announced today that Kevin Sumlin has joined the Terrapins coaching staff. Sumlin will serve as Maryland's Associate Head Coach, Co-Offensive Coordinator and coach the tight ends.
Sumlin, a veteran coach of over 30 years, arrives at Maryland after serving one year as the Head Coach and General Manager for the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL). Sumlin has been a head coach at the Division I level for 13 seasons.
"Kevin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our staff and I couldn't be more thrilled that he's joining our program," said Locksley. "My relationship with Kevin goes back over 25 years. He has a tremendous football mind, along with a proven track record of developing players and winning at the highest levels. I'm excited to welcome him and his family to College Park."
Sumlin's head coaching history at the college ranks includes stops at the University of Houston (2008-11), Texas A&M University (2012-17) and the University of Arizona (2018-20).
At Texas A&M, Sumlin compiled a 51-26 record including three bowl victories in six seasons and a top-five end of season ranking and Cotton Bowl win in 2012. At Houston, Sumlin amassed a 35-17 record in four seasons. In his 10 seasons as a head coach prior to Arizona, Sumlin compiled an 86-43 record and his teams played in bowl games in nine of those 10 seasons.
During his time at Texas A&M, Sumlin averaged over eight victories per season and won at least seven games each year. His 44 wins over his first five seasons in College Station marked the second-fastest coaching start in school history, behind only R.C. Slocum's 49 wins from 1989-93. Sumlin was the first Aggie head coach to lead his first six teams to a bowl game. In addition, Sumlin guided Johnny Manziel to a stellar freshman season that saw him throw for 3,419 yards and 24 TDs, while running for 1,181 yards and 19 TDs en route to winning the 2012 Heisman Trophy.
Despite his defensive background as a linebacker at Purdue in the mid-1980s, it was Sumlin's offenses that were his calling card as a head coach in the SEC. In his six seasons at Texas A&M, his offenses led the conference in passing, scoring and total offense twice. His 2012 offense became the first to break the 7,000-yard plateau in total offense with 7,261 yards, and his 2013 unit was just a yard shy of the milestone.
Sumlin has been named a finalist for the AFCA's National Coach of the Year Award (2011) and for the Paul "Bear" Bryant National Coach of the Year (2009). He's coached in 16 bowl games, including all four traditional New Year's Day games.