Jon Sumrall didn't choose the Florida Gators over the Auburn Tigers because of more money, better resources, and a more amenable opportunity overall. That's why he chose UF over the Tulane Green Wave.
According to The War Rapport's Mike Gittens, Sumrall was negatively recruited over all the well-known rumors about the Auburn job. The Tigers ended up hiring the USF Bulls' Alex Golesh instead on Sunday.
"A second independent source has told The War Rapport that Jon 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. In short, virtually every familiar negative trope about coaching at Auburn was repackaged and relayed to him until he ultimately backed away from the opportunity. The source states financials had no impact on his decision; Auburn’s offer to Sumrall was equal to Florida’s, with a stronger incentive structure," Gittens wrote.
Given Sumrall's wife is an AU grad, there's clearly more to the Green Wave head coach avoiding a job where the fanbase was openly celebrating him for weeks. The way the program has been run into the ground the last several years, and the way both Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze have acted towards the school following their exits, there's clearly something amuck behind the scenes.
To what extent Golesh will be affected by it is unclear. Certain personalities work well acquiescing on the Plains. Others make it their personality to spite the school years after being shown the door.
There's dysfunction at every school, but the football program at AU seemingly has it embedded. It's a national punchline.
Perhaps Sumrall will find Florida is no better. The Gator faithful are not thrilled with his hiring and some already see him as the next Billy Napier.
Golesh is a non-controversial figure, just like Sumrall. We'll see how he handles the blender that is Auburn football; a challenge not everyone is built to take on.