Paul Finebaum reveals candidate Auburn should prioritize in coaching search

The times are changing at Auburn. They become the latest program to enter the coaching carousel on Sunday, as the Tigers fired their head coach, moving on from Hugh Freeze. 

Now, his eventual replacement will become one of the more interesting storylines of the college football season. Paul Finebaum has someone in mind — Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall.

“I think Auburn is a little bit more unique. I don’t think you can just go to Chat GPT 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. 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. We all know the same names. I don’t think I could add anything,” Finebaum explained, via McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.

“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.”

Sumrall would certainly be an interesting choice, even if his star doesn’t burn as bright as some other candidates at the moment. Regardless, Finebaum thinks the job at Auburn might be a bit underrated at the moment, and it’ll be up to athletic director John Cohen to get the job done.

“I think John Cohen is very confident,” Finebaum added. “A lot of people are opining today, ‘Is he the right person to lead this search?’ Well, I think he is. First of all, John Cohen hired Hugh Freeze, in terms of the actual date, but we all know John Cohen came in as that was ongoing. For anyone to believe that was John Cohen’s decision alone is very foolish. No athletic director at Auburn is independent. There’s a coalition down there.

“It works from the AD to the President’s office to the board. That’s not dramatically different than any other state. I do think the difference at Auburn is I don’t think the governor of the state is going to be in the middle of this, even though she is an Auburn fan.”

Whether it’s Sumrall or a different choice, Auburn will be hoping to compete for titles now and in the future with their next hire. Whether or not it all works out remains to be seen, but the Tigers will be putting everything on the line over the next couple of weeks.