Paul Finebaum raises burning question after Auburn hires Alex Golesh

ESPN personality Paul Finebaum is still trying to make sense out of the SEC's wild weekend of coaching musical chairs. Six of the league's 16 teams have made coaching moves over the last two months, culminating in a wild weekend. Finebaum is still trying to untangle Auburn's hiring of Alex Golesh and he raised a major question about the Tigers' hiring situation.

Finebaum's lingering question

Finebaum appeared on McElroy and Cubelic In the Morning and was asked about the Auburn hire of Alex Golesh. Finebaum wasted little time in diving in to his lingering question that arose out of a wild Sunday in the SEC.

I think Alex Golesh is a very good hire. I think he brings a great deal to the table. Now, just like yesterday was, so was Friday and Saturday into Sunday morning for Auburn. It's been bewildering, because I think everybody had their hearts set on one person, Jon Sumrall. I would like an autopsy of the Auburn athletic department to see what went wrong there.
Paul Finebaum

Auburn and Sumrall

Auburn abruptly hired Golesh after things apparently went sour with Florida hire Jon Sumrall. Sumrall had ties to the SEC, growing up in Alabama and having played and coached at Kentucky and coached at Ole Miss. He has excelled as a head coach at Troy and Tulane and seemed to emerge as the top non-Lane Kiffin candidate in the early rounds of the coaching carousel.

Durkin as a factor?

But on Saturday morning, Sumrall removed his name from the Auburn pool of coaching candidates. Defensive coordinator and interim head coach D.J. Durkin had drawn significant support for the head coaching role ahead of Auburn's Iron Bowl battle. While Alabama won 27-20, Auburn fought gamely. Many fans are calling for Durkin to remain on the staff under Golesh.

Of course, Golesh is a coach with an offensive background, while Sumrall was a coach with a defensive background. One possibility for the disconnect was a disgreement from Sumrall about being potentially tied to another defensive coach.

Internet reports

That said, internet sources have indicated that Sumrall removed himself from the Auburn coaching hunt due to concerns about various limitations which would be imposed on him in the Auburn coaching role. Sumrall apparently-- in this version of events-- came to see the Florida job as less encumbered than the one at Auburn.

A second independent source has told @thewarrapport that Jon Sumrall soured on the Auburn job after being presented with a series of discouraging narratives about what coaching on the Plains would entail. Those accounts ranged from stories of overreaching boosters to allegations…
— Mike G. (@mikegittens) November 30, 2025

In any case, Sumrall went his way to Gainesville and Golesh went his to Auburn. But Finebaum's overarching question lingers-- what was the game changer that caused Sumrall to move on from Auburn? It'll be a question that may linger as long as both coaches are competing at their ultimate destinations.