Paul Finebaum drops surprise pick for Auburn's next head coach

Auburn is sending out a search party to correct the Hugh Freeze mistake, and Paul Finebaum thinks one name sticks out.

Paul Finebaum thinks one name sticks out as Auburn's best option to replace Hugh Freeze. / Ken Ruinard / staff, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Auburn hopped on the coaching carousel this week after pulling the plug on Hugh Freeze and now finds itself in the middle of college football’s historic effort among several high-profile schools to find the right man to lead its program heading into 2026 and beyond.

Looking over the long list of the best candidates for Auburn to look into, veteran SEC observer Paul Finebaum thinks one name stands out above the crowd.

Finebaum names Auburn's best option

“The name I think is most intriguing is Jon Sumrall,” Finebaum said in comments to McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.

“He’s hard-nosed. He’ll remind some people of Pat Dye, which is never a bad way to go if you’re trying to identify who the next Auburn football coach should be.”

Sumrall is the current head coach at Tulane, one of the better Group of Five schools and, until last week anyway, was still hanging around the College Football Playoff bubble.

Sumrall is getting interest

The general consensus appears to be that Sumrall will be at the helm of an SEC football program this time next year, given his success at Tulane and his own experience in the conference, as a player at Kentucky, and an assistant there and at Ole Miss.

Sumrall also led Troy to consecutive Sun Belt titles before landing at Tulane, where he coaches in an American Conference championship game.

And as a native of Huntsville, he’s clearly familiar with the state of Alabama and could be an asset for the school especially in talent acquisition, be it high school recruiting or working in the transfer portal.

In the latter case, Sumrall scored a big name when former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, an 11-game winner a year ago, chose to play him at Tulane in 2025.

He'll get plenty of interest

If Auburn is interested in him, they’ll have to act fast, because they’ll have competition, especially from the likes of LSU.

“I think Auburn is a little bit more unique. I don’t think you can just go to ChatGPT and type in what you want. I think you have to find someone who can relate to that school and the fan base and the family. That’s where I would go,” Finebaum said. 

“I wouldn’t just try to hire the hot name. I would try to hire someone who has experience, great ability, but mostly potential. We all know the same names.”

What the bookies say

Sumrall isn’t just Finebaum’s best pick to take over at Auburn. He’s also the current betting favorite to land on The Plains.

Tulane’s head coach sits atop the leader board with +300 odds to become the top man at Auburn with a 25 percent chance to take the job, according to Bookies.com.

USF coach Alex Golesh is second on that list at +375 (21.1%), while current Auburn defensive coordinator and interim coach DJ Durkin is third at +900 (10%).

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