Paul Finebaum Rips Auburn AD John Cohen, Blames Him for Florida Loss

Finebaum ripped into Auburn's John Cohen, blaming him for the Tigers' loss to Florida.

Paul Finebaum ripped Auburn athletic director John Cohen for Auburn's loss to Florida on Saturday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Heat on athletic director John Cohen is only ramping up after the Auburn Tigers lost yet another close one on Saturday.

It’s been nearly 670 days since Auburn last won a home SEC game, as the Tigers dropped their conference opener 44-39 to the Florida Gators over the weekend.

One of the main storylines surrounding the contest was the friendly rivalry between Alex Golesh and Jon Sumrall, which is even more interesting due to Sumrall's history with Auburn.

Following Auburn’s loss to Sumrall and the Gators, renowned college football analyst Paul Finebaum wasn’t afraid to speak his mind Monday morning on a radio show with Cole Cubelic and Greg McElroy.

“I still like Alex Golesh a lot, but I blame John Cohen, the athletic director, for this loss. This game was lost on Thanksgiving weekend in 2025 when John Cohen’s massive ego got in the way of hiring Jon Sumrall,” Finebaum said. “It should’ve been done, he intended to do it, every Auburn fan was expecting it.”

After Cohen fired former head coach Hugh Freeze last season, Sumrall emerged as the top candidate for the Auburn job, and frankly, it seemed like a perfect fit. Sumrall is from Huntsville, Ala., his wife was a member of the Kappa Delta sorority and graduated from Auburn, and his experience within the state of Alabama was certainly taken into account. 

However, as Finebaum alluded to, Florida swooped in just days before the Iron Bowl and ended up hiring Sumrall, which then led Cohen and company to make a last-minute decision to bring in Golesh.

Many claimed Sumrall went to Florida because Cohen wanted to keep then-interim head coach DJ Durkin as defensive coordinator in the new regime, although it was never a proven statement of fact.

“That was my thought as this game came to an end is that an athletic director cost Auburn a football game,” Finebaum said.

Finebaum went on to praise Golesh and the work he has completed on the Plains thus far, but also criticized Auburn’s quarterback play and Durkin after his defense allowed nearly 500 yards of offense on Saturday.

“I thought Alex Golesh has done about as much as he could do. There’s still a learning curve,” Finebaum said. “I’m still incredibly disappointed in Byrum Brown, and I’m even more disappointed with DJ Durkin, which is probably the reason Sumrall didn’t end up there because Cohen pushed him down his throat. I really don’t understand that defense and how, at times, lackadaisical they looked in the first half of that game.”

Finebaum seemed to have increased aspirations of Auburn in Year 1 under Golesh in the offseason, but his expectations have certainly dwindled since the heartbreaking loss to the Gators, especially considering the gauntlet of Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss awaiting the Tigers.

“Those were my treetop observations,” Finebaum said. “I think Auburn can still have a decent season, but any chance of a great season went down the drain Saturday night.”