Kevin Sumlin Fired by Arizona Amid 12-Game Losing Streak

The University of Arizona fired head football coach Kevin Sumlin after going 0-5 this season. 

Arizona is in the midst of a 12-game losing streak dating back to last season and got throttled 70-7 by Arizona State in a rivalry game Friday night.

Sumlin, 56, went 9-20 with the Wildcats in three losing campaigns. Once considered one of the brightest offensive minds in college football, Sumlin fell on hard times during the latter half of his tenure at Texas A&M and fared no better at Arizona.

The Wildcats went 5-7 during Sumlin's first season at the helm, showing potential offensively but ranking among the Pac-12's worst defenses. They gave up 30-plus points in five of their final six contests.

The defense did not fare much better in 2019, opening with an abysmal performance against Hawaii before continuing to struggle throughout the season. Arizona ranked 118th in the nation last season with 35.8 points allowed per game.

This season, the Wildcats got off to a late start since the Pac-12 delayed the beginning of its campaign amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Things didn't get any better for Arizona once things got underway, though, as it allowed 39.8 points per game, 121st in the country.

Sumlin's departure continues a precipitous fall for a coach who once looked destined for an NFL future. His partnership with Johnny Manziel was one of the most thrilling coach-quarterback duos in recent college football history, but Sumlin failed to mesh with Kyler Murray or Kyle Allen after him. Murray and Allen both transferred from Texas A&M to find a much higher level of success and eventually land in the NFL.

Sumlin's resume reads similar to Chip Kelly's, though with less success. Like Sumlin, Kelly's offense burned white-hot in the collegiate spotlight before he got an NFL look with the Philadelphia Eagles. The NFL soon figured out Kelly after one solid season, and he's returned to the college level at UCLA but has yet to regain the same level of success.

Overall, in 13 seasons as a college head coach at Houston, Texas A&M and Arizona, Sumlin owns a 95-63 record with seven bowl appearances.