Since Hugh Freeze was fired on November 2 after 34 games in charge of Auburn football, the name that keeps popping up as the next head coach is Jon Sumrall.
The second-year Tulane coach has ties to Alabama, playing high school football at Grissom High School in Huntsville, and serving as the head coach at Troy for two seasons before joining the Green Wave. If John Cohen and the Auburn athletic department want him as their next head coach, they might be in a fight.
On Wednesday, On3's Zach Abolverdi reported that Sumrall is set to meet with Florida about its vacant head coaching position on Thursday.
The Gators fired Billy Napier after almost 4 years in Gainesville, following another disappointing season in which Florida stood at 3-4 when he was dismissed. A home loss to USF early in the season did not help Napier's cause, nor did an overall record of 22-23 and 12-16 in the SEC.
Cohen and Auburn have already been in contact with Sumrall concerning the position, and the Tulane coach has been considered the favorite since it became open. The 43-year-old Sumrall has the Green Wave at 8-2 on the season, including 5-1 in the American Conference, after a 9-5 season in his first year in New Orleans.
Sumrall has spent time at Ole Miss and Kentucky, the latter being where he played as a linebacker before suffering a career-ending injury in 2004. Before accepting the Trojans' head coaching job in 2022, he spent three years in Lexington as the Wildcats' inside linebackers coach, while also serving as co-defensive coordinator in 2021.
Auburn would like to have its coach in place by next week, as the Tigers' season could end if they fail to beat archrival Alabama at home and qualify for a bowl game.