The first SEC test is here for Auburn, and it comes with a familiar face on the other sideline.
Florida heads to the Plains on Saturday in a primetime matchup that opens league play for both teams. It’s also the Gators’ first road game of the season, and Auburn is their first Power Four opponent after Florida rolled past Florida Atlantic and Campbell.
There’s plenty to sort through before kickoff, but three storylines stand out right away.
Jon Sumrall and Alex Golesh know each other well
Florida’s Jon Sumrall was one of the biggest names in last year’s coaching carousel, and multiple reports linked him to Auburn after Hugh Freeze was fired. In the end, Sumrall landed with the Gators after Florida backed away from its pursuit of Lane Kiffin.
That makes Saturday a little more interesting, because Sumrall and Auburn coach Alex Golesh already have history. They spent the last two seasons as American Conference rivals, with Golesh at South Florida and Sumrall at Tulane.
Sumrall had the upper hand in that stretch, going 14-2 in conference play over those two seasons. The two met once, and Tulane handled USF 45-10 in the 2024 meeting.
Now they meet again as first-year SEC head coaches, each looking for that first statement win. For Golesh, it’s also a chance to finally get one over on Sumrall and show Auburn can stand up in this league.
Jadan Baugh is the centerpiece of Florida’s offense
Florida’s offense runs through running back Jadan Baugh, who looks like one of the best all-purpose players in the country. He ranks second nationally in yards per game and brings a real receiving threat out of the backfield.
Keeping Baugh in the fold was a major priority for Sumrall and his staff this offseason, and it’s easy to see why. Last season, when Florida’s offense struggled around him, he still managed 1,170 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while adding 33 catches for 210 yards.
That gives Auburn’s defense a huge assignment. The Tigers have shown strength against the run, holding Baylor to 2.3 yards per carry in Week 1, but this looks like the stiffest ground-game challenge they’ll face all year.
Eric Singleton Jr.’s status is worth watching
Florida could also be without one of its other top offensive pieces. Eric Singleton Jr. is dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of the Gators’ Week 2 win over Campbell, and his status this week is still uncertain.
Auburn knows Singleton well. He spent the 2024 season with the Tigers, leading the team with 58 catches and finishing second with 534 receiving yards.
He was hurt before recording a catch in Florida’s opener, so there’s still some mystery around how he might be used in Buster Faulkner’s offense. Faulkner and Singleton worked together at Georgia Tech, though, so there is at least some built-in familiarity there.
Florida has enough other options to function on offense, but Singleton’s availability is something to keep an eye on all week.
In Other News...
Byrum Browns Unusual Auburn TD Was No Fluke
Byrum Browns night against Southern Miss was packed with the kind of production Auburn will happily take every week, from 319 yards of total offense to three touchdowns in a 43-8 win. But the play everyone kept coming back to was the one that looked almost too unusual to be part of a normal game plan: Brown hauling in a touchdown pass on fourth-and-3, a catch that doubled as his first reception in two seasons and Auburns first quarterback touchdown reception since 2012.
There was nothing gimmicky about it, at least in Alex Goleshs view, who said the call was routine for that situation. Brown, for his part, framed it in the most practical terms possible, stressing the need to do whatever it takes to score. For Auburn, the bigger takeaway is that the Tigers have a quarterback who can create answers in more than one way, even if one of them looks rare enough to stand out long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Is 2-0 But Alex Golesh Sees A Bigger Problem
Auburn is 2-0 under Alex Golesh after a 43-8 win over Southern Miss, and the Tigers have shown signs of progress on both sides of the ball. The running game and passing game were cleaner than they had been in the opener, giving Auburn a more balanced look and a little momentum heading into a tougher stretch.
Still, Golesh was quick to frame the outing as sloppy rather than satisfying, a reminder that the scoreboard does not erase the mistakes that pile up over four quarters. Auburn has some fine-tuning to do with conference play looming, and the urgency in Goleshs tone made it clear the Tigers cant afford to let the better moments cover for the things still breaking down. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Ground Surge Feels Real But One Bigger Test Still Awaits
Auburn left the Southern Miss game with a rushing performance that looked a lot more like what this offense wants to be. The Tigers averaged 6.7 yards per carry and piled up 343 rushing yards, with Alex Golesh leaning on a balanced ground effort that included Omar Mabson II, Jeremiah Cobb and Byrum Brown. Even with penalties wiping out some gains, the overall picture was better than what Auburn had been putting on tape, and it gave the run game a tangible step forward.
The question now is whether that surge holds up once the competition sharpens and the pressure turns up on the offensive line. Auburn still wants cleaner, more consistent execution in the run game, and the coming weeks should bring a real look at how much of this improvement is sustainable. For a unit still sorting out its identity up front, the next few games may say more than one encouraging afternoon ever could. [Read more 🡒]