The week ahead is one of the more pivotal weeks for the Auburn football program in recent memory.
The Tigers are still in search of their 29th head coach after relieving Hugh Freeze of his duties following a 10-3 loss to Kentucky at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 2. Couple that with Auburn’s ability to salvage a trying season with an Iron Bowl victory against Alabama, and you have quite a big week on the Plains.
Auburn Athletic Director John Cohen has consistently said that he wants to name the Tigers’ next head coach shortly after the Iron Bowl, and as of Tuesday, all signs point toward that being Tulane’s Jon Sumrall.
But nothing is ever guaranteed in this era of collegiate athletics – especially during a coaching search – and it’s not written in stone that Sumrall will be the one left standing when it’s all said and done.
With that said, let’s take a look at a few candidates who are on the short list of Cohen’s search, beginning with the aforementioned Tulane coach.
Tulane HC Jon Sumrall
Sumrall has been the betting favorite to land the job at Auburn since the Tigers began their search. A hot commodity in the coaching carousel, he is in the middle of a 9-2 campaign with the Green Wave and is one win away from competing in his fourth-straight conference championship game as a head coach.
The 43-year-old, raised in Huntsville, Alabama, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Kentucky. He then worked his way up the coaching ranks after stints at San Diego, Tulane, Troy, and Ole Miss.
Sumrall returned to Troy as head coach in 2022. Just one year after the Trojans finished 5-7, he led them to a 12-2 campaign and followed that up with an 11-3 record in 2023 with back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships.
After becoming the head coach at Tulane in 2024, Sumrall led the Green Wave to a 9-5 record in his first season in New Orleans, earning a berth in the AAC Championship game after posting a 7-1 conference record. Now, only a 1-10 Charlotte team stands between Sumrall and a berth in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) championship.
If Sumrall is the guy, postseason action with his current team could delay his arrival on Auburn’s campus.
Auburn interim HC DJ Durkin
Leading the Tigers down the stretch as the interim head coach, Durkin could have the interim tag taken off and be installed as the permanent head coach. Spending the last two seasons on the Plains as defensive coordinator – and now as the second-highest paid assistant coach in college football – Durkin has indeed carried the Tigers’ defense to higher heights.
For instance, until its 45-38 overtime loss to then-No. 16 Vanderbilt, Auburn was just one of three FBS teams that had not allowed more than 24 points in a game. The Tigers currently sit at 11th nationally in rush defense, allowing just 94 yards per game while giving up 20.1 points per game.
Durkin earned his first win as head coach at Auburn this past Saturday following a 62-17 blowout of FCS foe Mercer. He owns a 12-16 overall record as a head coach.
Auburn’s current leading man got his first action as a head coach in 2014, serving as the interim for Florida in a Birmingham Bowl win against East Carolina. In 2016, his first year as a true head coach, he posted a 6-7 record at Maryland and a 4-8 record in 2017. During the 2018 season, one of his players, Jordan McNair, passed away as the result of a heat stroke suffered during spring practice. After an investigation, Durkin was reinstated, but after the university received backlash from the decision, Durkin and Maryland parted ways.
Cohen has mentioned throughout candidate interviews that Durkin’s name has surfaced as someone to retain and keep on staff, even if that means his returning to defensive coordinator. He maintains that it isn’t fair to make his decision based upon what Durkin does in the final three weeks of the season, but since this is a live audition, Durkin will be treating every day like it’s an interview.
Vanderbilt HC Clark Lea
Making significant stops at Notre Dame as the defensive coordinator and Wake Forest and Syracuse as the linebackers coach, Clark Lea is now in his fifth season in the Music City.
Posting 2-10 records in 2021 and 2023 and a 5-7 record in 2022, Lea has since taken Vanderbilt to unprecedented heights. Winning seven games in 2024, Vanderbilt currently sits at 9-2 is in firm consideration for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Lea’s doubters will say that he has benefited from Diego Pavia’s stellar play, and a wait-and-see approach may be prudent at this time.
But would Lea, a Vanderbilt graduate, even leave his alma mater for another job? That remains to be seen. Still, he remains a viable option for the Tigers.
Final Thoughts
As Cohen keeps his options on the table, other names continue to circulate, including Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, SMU’s Rhett Lashlee, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, and Georgia Tech’s Brent Key. Overall, this search appears to be in its final stages, and Cohen may just get his wish.
Before he blows out the candles on the coaching search, a win over Alabama this weekend would be icing on the cake. TG
Cover photo: DJ Durkin and Clark Lea. Photo by Austin Perryman | Auburn Tigers
