SEC expert suggests Auburn should poach this coach for vacancy

The Auburn Tigers are joining the ranks of college football programs searching for a new head coach for the 2026 season and beyond.

For now, D.J. Durkin, former Maryland Terrapins head coach turned Auburn defensive coordinator in 2024, will serve as the interim head coach for the Tigers. Long-term, though, it's likely that Durkin won't be the answer for Auburn. 

He'll get his chance over these last three games, and wins over Vanderbilt and Alabama could very well get him the job. More than likely, though, the Tigers and director of athletics John Cohen will be looking outside the building for Hugh Freeze's successor.

One SEC expert, Paul Finebaum, believes the Tigers should look no further than five or so hours southwest to Tulane, where head coach Jon Sumrall has the Green Wave at 6-2 and 15-7 over the last two seasons.

“The name I think is most intriguing is Jon Sumrall. 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 identity who the next Auburn football coach should be," Finebaum explained on  "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning" on Monday (h/t On3).

Jon Sumrall would be an interesting fit for the Auburn Tigers

The comparison to Pat Dye will pique the interest of Auburn fans. Dye was the head coach on The Plains from 1981-92 and he racked up a 99–39–4 record for Auburn over 12 seasons. He helped the Tigers win four SEC championships and was the SEC Coach of the Year honors in 1983, 1987 and 1988.

Anybody getting comparisons to Dye will immediately be a fan favorite at Auburn, but there's a lot to like about Sumrall in general.

He's a young up-and-comer in college football at only 43. He played linebacker at Kentucky from 2002-04, so he understands what it takes to play SEC football. He also has SEC coaching experience at Ole Miss as the linebacker coach in 2018 and at Kentucky as the inside linebackers coach and then co-defensive coordinator from 2019-21.

Sumrall's first head coaching opportunity was at Troy and he led the Trojans to a 23-4 record in two seasons.

It all adds up with Sumrall, especially if the Tigers want to avoid the "retreads" who already seem to have established ceilings.

As Finebaum sees it, the Tigers aren't a "cookie-cutter" program, so they can't just hire any old head coach at this point. 

“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 fanbase and the family," Finebaum said. "That’s where I would go. I wouldn’t just try to hire the hot name. I would try to hire someone who has experience, great ability, but mostly potential."

Potential? Sumrall has a ton of it. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers look his way as a result.