Jon Sumrall was once the leading candidate for the Auburn Tigers' head coaching job, but there was a last-minute U-turn that led to him accepting the Florida Gators' job. Now, some believe he's in an ideal situation.
Per The War Rapport's Mike Gittens, Sumrall "soured on the Auburn job after being presented with a series of discouraging narratives about what coaching on the Plains would entail. Those accounts ranged from stories of overreaching boosters to allegations of staffers embedded within the program for the purpose of monitoring and reporting on the head coach."
Maybe that will be a good thing for Sumrall. CBS Sports' Chip Patterson believes Sumrall has a potential Curt Cignetti-Indiana Hoosiers-like situation when the Tulane Green Wave's headman gets to Gainesville on a full-time basis.
"Jon Sumrall has been a head coach for just four seasons, and in each one, his team has played for a conference championship. He won back-to-back Sun Belt titles at Troy and maintained that success at Tulane, capturing another conference title this season. In total, Sumrall is 43-11 overall and 28-4 in conference play over four years," Patterson wrote.
"That sets up a borderline Cignetti-like situation for Florida's next head coach, who will face the challenge of preparing Tulane for a College Football Playoff game while also organizing the 2026 staff and schedule for the Gators. The former Kentucky linebacker has a high ceiling as a coach and will get the chance to prove himself in the SEC starting next season."
Of course, many had high hopes for Billy Napier at UF in 2022, coming from the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. Many Gator fans were skeptical of Sumrall coming from the Group of 5 ranks as well. The American Conference in 2025 was not much different from a Power 4 conference, though, and Florida's NIL spending may just need a football guy as head coach to galvanize the high-priced, high-ceiling talent the university recruits.
Auburn in good hands with Alex Golesh
UF got a good coach in Sumrall, but Auburn's pivot was masterful. Alex Golesh, once the offensive coordinator for a powerful 2022 Tennessee Volunteers team that set the stage for the CFP team two years later, brings to the Plains the backbone of the USF Bulls' rise in the American the last few years.
Golesh still has key roster decisions to make, which will go a long way in defining who the Tigers are during his first season in 2026.
One defining matchup for Golesh and Co. will be a prove-it contest against Sumrall, whose Gators will visit Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2026.