Amid Personal Ties to Auburn, Sumrall Ready for SEC Opener as Gators' Coach

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jon Sumrall could easily be prepping to face the Florida Gators this week rather than coach them.

As Florida fired Billy Napier and famously targeted now-LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, Auburn fired Hugh Freeze and quickly became the favorite to land Sumrall, then at Tulane. Instead, fate had another decision, and Sumrall quickly wound up in Gainesville.

The college football world had every reason to believe Sumrall would end up on the Plains. An Alabama native, he had coached in the state before at Troy and had multiple connections to the university, including that of his wife, Ginny, an AU graduate. Sumrall had also every reason to believe Kiffin would end up in Gainesville. Kiffin had similar connections to the university and was long rumored to be interested in the job.

Instead, as LSU became the favorite for Kiffin and Florida pivoted to Sumrall, with the head coach saying in his introductory press conference that despite having options, he and his family chose Florida back. Auburn, meanwhile, hired USF's Alex Golesh, despite earlier rumors that he was going to end up at Arkansas.

Jon Sumrall's wife, Ginny, is an Auburn graduate. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Nine months later, the two teams and coaches are set to meet, but there is no love lost in Saturday's edition of one of the SEC's more historical rivalries despite those personal ties.

"Yeah, there's ties. But Florida pays my mortgage," Sumrall said of having personal ties to Auburn. "So, any family that is pulling against us, they ain't my family. I mean, I don't care what their last name is. You know what I mean?

"I got a lot of respect for Auburn. Great place, good people. I got a lot of friends; my wife went to school there, so a lot of crossover. But I'm a Florida Gator, and everybody affiliated with me closely as a Florida Gator, or they're not affiliated with me closely."

Golesh is in a similar mindset. While he does not have the ties to Florida that Sumrall has to Auburn, he does have ties to Sumrall. The two coached together in the American Conference for two seasons, with Sumrall winning the lone matchup between the two in 2024.

"He said we were friends? Not this week we're not," Golesh said on Monday. "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. 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. I've got a lot of respect for him. This week, don't care."

Florida and Auburn have only played once in the last 10 years, with the Gators beating the Tigers, 24-13, in a battle of unbeatens in 2019. Before that, Auburn downed Florida on the Plains in 2011. While the rivalry has transitioned from a yearly matchup to a rare battle, the hate has not dissipated. The recent coaching history has only fueled it, as well.

"It's different. It's definitely a different level of intensity because at Florida, these are the games that you come here to play," linebacker Myles Graham said. "Like these games that you dream of, just being a top player in these games makes you a legend. So that's a big deal for everybody.”

There's also added pressure for both teams of this being each other's SEC opener. Auburn squeaked out a close win over Baylor to open the season before downing Southern Miss. Florida has skated by FAU and Campbell at home for its first 2-0 start since 2021. However, the Gators have not won at Auburn since 1999 (0-3 since) and have not won a road SEC game since Sept. 21 at Mississippi State last season (0-6 since).

The Gators have also not won an SEC opener since 2023 or its SEC road opener since 2020.

"SEC play, they count different. They count twice," Sumrall said. "I tell our team all the time when you turn to conference play, you’re counting your overall record and your college record. The ones the last two weeks counted overall. So these games count twice. So, it's a tremendous challenge, tremendous opportunity, go on the road."

Florida beat Auburn, 24-13, in the team's last matchup in 2019. | USA TODAY Sports

Poll implications are at stake as well. The Gators, once again, found themselves just outside of the AP Poll despite their big win. Auburn trails without any votes, but a home win to move to 3-0 could be enough to earn respect from the voters.

Nonetheless, poll implications, the rivalry's history or Florida's recent SEC struggles will not be at the forefront when the ball is kicked just past 7 p.m. ET inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night. A rivalry renewed and personal ties will be.

"If there's a whole lot that needs to be said to get anybody further in to go play in SEC football games, we got the wrong people here," Sumrall said. "And I'll say something to hopefully get them ready, but there should be some self-motivation here."

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