Why Alex Golesh is Putting Friendship With Florida HC Jon Sumrall on Hold in Week 3 Matchup

The Auburn head coach has played against Sumrall before, with the result not ending in his favor. That will look to change this weekend on the Plains.

Auburn head coach Alex Golesh says he isn't friends with Florida head coach Jon Sumrall during game week. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

When Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh was in the same role at South Florida, one of the worst losses he experienced was a 45-10 loss to Tulane in September 2024. 

The head coach of the Green Wave then is now-head coach at Florida, Jon Sumrall. Now, the two will meet again as first-year head coaches in the SEC to kick off conference play on the Plains this weekend. 

Speaking to the media on Monday, Golesh spoke about the nightmare that it is to rewatch that game, which he did after Auburn’s win over Southern Miss this past weekend. 

“One, if you wanted to have a really, really rough morning, you could’ve sat with me and watch that yesterday, again, for maybe 200th time, and again, wanted to throw up,” he said. 

However, off the football field, he holds immense respect for Sumrall, competing in the same conference once again. However, the conference is the benchmark for success across college football, and the two were both assistants in the SEC before taking head coaching jobs. 

Sumrall was coaching linebackers at Ole Miss and Kentucky, while Golesh was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee. 

“I've got a ton of respect for Jon. We were both assistants in this league at the same time, and he did a great job at Troy, high-end job at Troy. Did a high-end job at Tulane,” Golesh said. “I've got a ton of respect for how he works, ton of respect for who he is. I think he does it the right way, competes like crazy.”

However, this week will put the two’s friendship on hold until the clock strikes zeroes at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“He said we were friends? Not this week we’re not,” Golesh said. 

The competitiveness between the two head coaches has had Auburn’s new leader looking back on the last match between he and Sumrall. While USF’s roster still had the likes of now-Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown, Golesh had to play against now-Miami quarterback and Heisman frontrunner Darian Mensah, while Houston standout running back Makhi Hughes was also with the Green Wave in that game, recording two touchdowns. 

This time, Auburn will see Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo, who followed offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to Florida for the 2026 season. Similar to Sumrall, Golesh had a large amount of respect for the two, as well as the Gators as a whole. 

“These guys, offensively, present a bunch of challenges,” he said. “I think the quarterback is playing well. What Buster has done with the offense, and what he's always done, is find creative ways -- one, to run the football and run it at a high clip, and then two, be able to push the ball all over the place.”

Even in that loss to Sumrall’s group in 2024, Golesh said “there’s been some good” from watching the film back. He hopes to have more of that than the bad at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night, which will feature two teams looking to change their narratives to threats in the SEC for years to come. 

As for his relationship with Sumrall, it’s game week, and it’s an opponent, not a friend in Golesh’s eyes.

“This week, don’t care.”

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