On Saturday, Auburn hosts No. 10 Alabama in the 90th edition of the Iron Bowl. Somehow, an announcement on Sunday could be even bigger news than who wins the annual rivalry game.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall is set to decide on his future and whether he will stay with the Green Wave or take the Auburn or Florida job.
The 43-year-old Sumrall has long been at the top of the list for Auburn athletic director John Cohen and the Tigers since the dismissal of Hugh Freeze on November 2. In his two years at Tulane, Sumrall has a 18-7 record, including 9-2 thus far this season, and is 41-11 in his four years as a head coach.
The bad news for Auburn is that Florida is now coming after Sumrall hard after seemingly losing momentum in the race to hire Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin is set to make his announcement on Saturday on whether he is staying in Oxford or, as many think, will be the next head coach at LSU.
If Auburn were to lose out on Sumrall, many other options are already out as well, including Eli Drinkwitz, who just signed an extension with Missouri. Either way, the hire will be critical for Cohen after the failure of a tenure under Freeze, who was Cohen's first hire as Auburn's athletic director in December 2022. In two-plus seasons, Freeze went 15-19, including 6-16 in SEC play, failing to live up to the expectations that accompanied his hiring.
Sumrall and the No. 24 Green Wave host Charlotte on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT and still have a chance to play in the American Conference championship game. Whether he would remain Tulane's head coach for that and the ensuing bowl game would make for an interesting decision.