The Florida-Auburn noise machine has been running hot this week, and a lot of it has revolved around Jon Sumrall. Auburn fans have tried to recast the whole thing as if Sumrall was never really in play for their job, but the reporting from late November tells a different story.
That matters because the debate is not just about who Florida hired. It is also about Auburn fans trying to rewrite how the search unfolded after Sumrall ended up choosing Florida.
For longtime Gator fans, the back-and-forth probably feels familiar. This Saturday will be only the second football meeting between Florida and Auburn since 2012, but the tension between the fan bases is hardly new.
Back in November, Florida supporters were already on edge after months of being sold Lane Kiffin, only to be left empty-handed. When Sumrall surfaced, he was a tough sell at first, and the reaction from Gator fans was immediate. He felt like the next name dropped into the conversation before anyone had time to get comfortable with it.
Auburn, though, made it clear to its own fans that Sumrall was a serious name in the search. That is why the current attempt to pretend otherwise has been so easy to poke holes in.
On November 21, Auburn247 reported that “This week, there has been more and more positive buzz for Sumrall as the leader of this Auburn search.”
That same day, ESPN’s Pete Thamel went on the Paul Finebaum Show and said, “Yeah, I think Jon Sumrall has been a prime candidate and target from the start of that job. There’s obviously complications with Tulane being a potential Playoff team. But, it wouldn’t be a surprise if that’s where Auburn ends up.”
A week later, the betting market still had Sumrall at the top. On November 27, he was the favorite to get the Auburn job at -300. ESPN then reported on November 28 that Auburn had “significant interest” in him.
By November 29, the picture had shifted, but Sumrall was still very much part of the story. CBS Sports and FootballScoop both reported that he was a “top person of interest for Auburn,” even though he was not expected to land there.
Then on November 30, Mike Gittens of The War Report reported that “Jon Sumrall soured on the Auburn job.”
That sequence is why the idea that Auburn never really wanted him does not hold up. Sumrall was not Florida’s first choice, and Florida fans have since come around on him.
Auburn fans can be happy with Alex Golesh. But the receipts show Auburn was in on Sumrall before the path changed.
And if Auburn had wanted Golesh from the start, he would have been the name from day one. Up until Sumrall spurned Auburn, Golesh was the prime target for Arkansas. Once the Florida opening became available, Sumrall made his choice.
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Jon Sumrall and athletic director Scott Stricklin have both acknowledged that reality, stressing that elite coaching only goes so far without the resources to match it. The estimate folds in athletic department revenue, booster support and other funding sources, but not player endorsements, which makes it a useful snapshot of where Florida stands even if the full picture continues to shift. The broader concern is less about one years number than what it says about how hard the Gators will have to work to stay in the leagues top tier. [Read more 🡒]