Who is the Betting Favorite to Land the Auburn Job?

The Auburn Tigers are in the midst of their third coaching search in the last five years after firing former head coach Hugh Freeze a couple of weeks ago, and there are a multitude of candidates who could replace Freeze on the Plains.

Since the moment that athletics director John Cohen made the decision to fire Freeze the Sunday after the Kentucky loss, fans have heard the same names swirling around the internet regarding who could take over at the helm for the Tigers.

There are many moving parts and options that Cohen has to consider as Auburn approaches its last two games of the season, but he seems to be working tirelessly and doesn’t want to wait long after the Alabama game to name a new coach.

“We have probably had conversations with seven or eight sitting head coaches,” Cohen said in an interview with 247Sports. “We’ll get that number down. I would love to have a head coach within 24 hours after the Iron Bowl is over. Is that possible? I don’t know. The reason I don’t know that is because I don’t know how our candidates’ seasons are going to progress over the next three weeks.”

Let’s take a look at the top three candidates that BetOnline reports have the best chances to land the Auburn job.

1. Jon Sumrall (-150)

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall was the hottest name immediately after Freeze’s firing, and he appears to still remain as the frontrunner. Sumrall is extremely familiar with the state of Alabama, as he is a Huntsville, Ala., native and previously spent two years as the head coach at Troy. He posted a 23-4 overall record at Troy, leading the Trojans to two consecutive Sun Belt championships in 2022 and 2023.

247Sports national reporter Brandon Marcello, one of the most respected media members in the industry, recently told The Next Round that Sumrall should be a “no-brainer,” claiming that Auburn would find immediate success if Cohen were to hire him.

"Don't out-think yourself... go hire Jon Sumrall,” Marcello said. “I'll tell you right now, you go hire Jon Sumrall, Auburn's winning 10 games here within the next two years."

.@bmarcello's message to Auburn AD John Cohen:

"Don't outthink yourself... Go hire Jon Sumrall. I'll tell ya right now, you go hire Jon Sumrall, Auburn's winning 10 games here within the next two years." pic.twitter.com/Tcg3CNip2Q
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) November 12, 2025

2. D.J. Durkin (+300)

Auburn defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin has garnered lots of attention since being named interim head coach, but the jury is still out on if he is apt for Cohen to promote him to head coach.

Durkin likely would’ve needed to win out in order to be a legitimate candidate, but obviously, the Tigers dropped yet another close game to a ranked opponent last weekend at then-No. 16 Vanderbilt. He still has a great opportunity ahead of him with the Iron Bowl in two weeks, but there’s great uncertainty and division within the fanbase regarding whether he’s the answer for the full-time job.

He undoubtedly brought a spark to the locker room in Nashville last Saturday, but how high is his ceiling? Is he capable of leading Auburn to a championship or College Football Playoff appearance if he were promoted?

Some fans aren’t so sure.

3. James Franklin (+500)

It seems like former Penn State head coach James Franklin has seen his name on just about every “hot board” around the country after being fired earlier this season. His odds to land the Auburn job have shot up in the past 24-48 hours, but his inability to win big games and legitimately contend for a national title are still important question marks surrounding his career.

The likelihood of Franklin coming to Auburn is certainly not high, but the Tigers have made unexpected hires in the past. He’s also one of the top candidates for the Arkansas job, sitting right behind Ryan Silverfield (+200) at +225 to be the next head coach of the Razorbacks.

Interestingly enough, South Florida head coach Alex Golesh held the third-best odds to be Auburn’s next coach on Wednesday, so there must be a reason why Franklin climbed multiple spots in such a short amount of time.