Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall revealed that his will to go to Gainesville was far from cut and dry for a majority of the process, and even almost went a different way mere weeks before his decision was made official on November 30.
While speaking with On3's Andy Staples, Sumrall hinted that the Auburn Tigers, Kentucky Wildcats, and even the Ole Miss Rebels were seriously on his radar before he decided on becoming Florida's 31st head football coach.
"We both sat down, and we discussed what the future would look like, and to be very transparent, if you would've asked me in early November, I probably wouldn't have told you Florida," Sumrall said. "And then the most we found out and the more we got to know about this place and the people, we really looked at each other and felt like this is where we fit, this is where we belong and this is where we want to be."
Of course, the Ole Miss job would never open up. The Rebels instead promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to replace Lane Kiffin. It was Kiffin's decision to become the LSU Tigers' head coach that opened the gates for the Gators to pounce on Sumrall. Kiffin was Florida's lead candidate until LSU took a firm and final lead.
What about Auburn, though?
Auburn wanted Jon Sumrall but Alex Golesh was option 1A
Per Auburn Undercover's Nathan King, "Auburn Undercover was told Golesh interviewed for the job early in the process. He was rumored to be accepting the vacant position at Arkansas, but after Tulane coach Jon Sumrall began to trend to Florida, Cohen returned to Golesh and offered him the job, sources told Auburn Undercover."
While Sumrall was the preferred choice, and the Auburn family pretty consistently pushed that, Alex Golesh is as good a "Plan B," more like Plan 1A, that the Tigers could've asked for with DJ Durkin already taking on defensive responsibilities.
Golesh, like Sumrall, is a culture-changer. Golesh, unlike Sumrall, is bringing one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country, Byrum Brown, with him.
AU needed a great QB more than anything else. Mission accomplished. Hopefully Sumrall gets what he was looking for at UF.