Jon Sumrall Reportedly Trending Away From Auburn in Final Days Before Announcement

The Auburn Tigers may have received potentially devastating information regarding their coaching search on this Iron Bowl Eve.

Reports emerged on Friday that Florida is now pursuing Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall after the Gators determined that current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is out of the picture, according to On3’s Chris Low. Kiffin is expected to choose between LSU and staying with Ole Miss, but nonetheless, Florida has turned all its attention to Sumrall.

NEW: Florida has turned its attention to Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall, with Lane Kiffin down to Ole Miss and LSU.

(per @PeteNakos, @clowfb and @Brett_McMurphy) https://t.co/zGyRqC6DPr https://t.co/7MVPoEQg2V pic.twitter.com/KaLTOFrrVi
— On3 (@On3sports) November 28, 2025

Sumrall has remained the favorite to be Auburn’s next head football coach ever since Hugh Freeze was fired earlier this month, and there were even rumblings of a nearly done deal between him and the Tigers. Auburn athletics director John Cohen said he would like the Tigers’ next coach to be announced on Sunday after the Iron Bowl, but just when people believe Auburn has him locked down, the Gators seem to be swooping in at the last minute.

Per a report from ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Sumrall is expected to make a decision on his coaching future on Sunday morning between staying at Tulane and outside opportunities, which include “significant interest” from both Auburn and Florida.

Sources: Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is expected to make a decision on his coaching future on Sunday morning. He's expected to choose between staying at Tulane, and his outside opportunities have included significant interest from Florida and Auburn. pic.twitter.com/mEiLUKgcvn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 28, 2025

There are some ideas swirling around social media that Cohen’s insistence on keeping interim head coach D.J. Durkin on staff under the new regime could turn Sumrall away from the Auburn job. Meanwhile, more reports are coming out that Florida is offering him full autonomy of the program if he were hired.

Sumrall was set to meet with Florida a couple of weeks ago, but the Tulane head coach canceled just a few days before the meeting. Auburn fans thought this meant he may not have been interested in the Gators’ job opening, but when a checkbook and a brand like Florida’s comes calling, it’s hard not to listen – especially when he’s their main target.

To put it simply, Auburn could potentially find itself in an extremely undesirable situation if Florida steals the Tigers’ longtime top target and they’re unable to hire “their guy.” A plethora of other possible candidates have already determined their future – Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea both signed contract extensions, Virginia Tech hired James Franklin, and Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham seems out of the picture – meaning at this point, it may just be down to Sumrall and Durkin.

If the Gators end up hiring Sumrall, it wouldn’t be totally disastrous for Auburn, considering Durkin is likely a fall-back option, but it would undoubtedly be embarrassing for Cohen that he wasn’t able to close on the Tigers’ main target.

According to Kalshi, Sumrall now holds a 66% chance to become Florida’s next head coach. The Gators haven’t extended an official offer yet, per reports, but that is most likely in the works.

Auburn takes on Alabama in the 90th edition of the Iron Bowl on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and many are wondering if a win over the Crimson Tide could be enough to elevate Durkin to full-time head coach. The question had somewhat faded out of importance as fans received word that Auburn was picking up momentum with Sumrall, but considering the fact that Cohen wants to announce the new head coach on Sunday, there’s no telling how much it would mean if Sumrall’s status is not finalized by then.

Overall, the Auburn coaching search just got a whole lot more interesting – and stressful, for fans, at least. It’s hard to determine how much the Iron Bowl means for Durkin on Saturday, and it’s also difficult to measure how legitimate Sumrall’s interest is towards Florida.

However, one thing is for sure.

The next few days will reveal a lot regarding the future of the Auburn football program, and no matter who is hired, only time will tell.