Auburn expected to name coveted $15 million college football coach as new HC: Report

Auburn may have found their next head coach, but the question is when the program will announce the news, at least according to one insider. A potential coaching search at Ole Miss could be the only thing that prevents the Auburn hire from becoming a done deal.

The Washington Post's Steven Godfrey reported that as of now, Auburn is expected to hireTulane head coach Jon Sumrall to replace Hugh Freeze. A potential timeline for a finalized decision could depend on Tulane making the College Football Playoff. The Green Wave are the highest ranked Group of Six team heading into Week 13.

"Jon Sumrall's going to Auburn," Godfrey detailed in an episode of "Phantom Island" on Friday. "... As of right now, Jon Sumrall is going to Auburn. I've heard conflicting schedules on how Auburn would handle a Tulane playoff run. But yeah, if you're Auburn right now, you need to be cheering against Tulane (making the College Football Playoff).

"... Sumrall's going, and the other thing that you want as an Auburn fan, I'm not saying it's going to come down to this, because I do think conversations have progressed to a point where plans are being made. But you don't want Ole Miss to come crashing in at the last second and saying like, 'All right, we just lost Lane (Kiffin) to Florida. Let's try and get an offer out to Jon ASAP.'"

Ole Miss may be the only thing standing in the way of Jon Sumrall being the next Auburn coach

Sumrall has also been linked to the Florida and LSU vacancies among others. On3's Pete Nakos reported that Sumrall canceled a scheduled meeting with Florida this week.

I would like Jon Sumrall to Auburn for the same reasons I liked Elko to Texas A&M.

He majors in what they're missing.https://t.co/sE1gaVwpYQ pic.twitter.com/lZlgUTrbif
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) November 5, 2025

One potential wrinkle in Auburn's plans, Sumrall could be a candidate at Ole Miss if Lane Kiffin bolts for LSU or Florida. The Tulane coach is a former assistant at Ole Miss.

Tulane HC Jon Sumrall is the favorite to be Auburn's next coach

Kalshi gives Sumrall a 61% chance to land the Auburn job, making him a heavy favorite over the field. USF's Alex Golesh is a distant second at 12%.

“If Jon Sumrall is your coach, I think Auburn can make the CFP as soon as next season.” @MichaelWBratton thinks Sumrall is an obvious fit for the Tigers ⬇️ @WJOX945 | #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/o9ypJJajEJ
— 3 Man Front (@3ManFront) October 28, 2025

Sumrall signed a contract extension with Tulane in Dec. 2024. The terms of the new deal were not disclosed, but Sumrall was already under contract through 2029 with a annual base salary of $3 million, per ESPN.

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