On Sunday, Auburn kicked off its national coaching search by firing head coach Hugh Freeze.
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Freeze finished 15-19 overall with the Tigers and 6-16 in SEC play. Now, Auburn finds itself in the midst of a packed market for college football coaches.
Before Week 11, nine Power 4 programs are looking for coaches. Rival SEC schools Arkansas, LSU and Florida are looking for a new leader in 2026.
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LSU and Florida are believed to be looking for a splashy hire like Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Arkansas is reportedly trying to court former Penn State head coach James Franklin.
Auburn’s coaching search might be a little more refined than LSU’s or Florida’s. Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has been heavily linked to the Tigers in recent days.
That might be by design.
Per Grant Hughes of 247 Sports, Sumrall’s camp tried to flag Auburn about his interest in taking the job before the program fired Freeze.
“We’ve heard from a couple different sources that Sumrall’s camp tried to position itself in Auburn’s sights well before Hugh Freeze was fired,” said Nathan King of AuburnUndercover. “Sumrall would take the job if Auburn offered, but that’s just informed speculation as of today.”
Sumrall has also been mentioned as a potential target for LSU.
The 43-year-old head coach has an impressive resume. He went 23-4 with Troy before landing the job with Tulane in 2024.
Sumrall has gone 15-7 overall and 10-2 in conference play during his two seasons with the Green Wave. Tulane is 6-2 before getting ready to play Memphis on Friday night.
The contest for Tulane is a big one for Sumrall after the Green Wave’s upset loss to UTSA in Week 10. The College Football Playoff selection committee put Memphis in its first bracket, projecting the Tigers as the top-ranked conference winner in the Group of Six.
Not only is the game a potential measuring stick for Sumrall, but Tulane needs to win to keep its hopes of making the CFP alive.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
