‘They didn’t want me, I didn’t want them:’ Florida’s Jon Sumrall says he had no interest in Auburn job after Gators’ win over Tigers

Florida coach Jon Sumrall said after his team’s win over Auburn on Saturday night that the Tigers had no interest in him after the 2025 season.

Sumrall got the first SEC win of his career as his team posted a 44-39 victory over Auburn. The final score was closer than the game actually was. The Gators opened up a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter on the heels of an offense that held the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

When asked after the game if there were any special feelings about the win because he interviewed with the Tigers, Sumrall wanted to make it clear that there wasn’t much interest from either party about him being Auburn’s football coach.

“Who said I interviewed for this job, who are you talking about?” Sumrall asked the reporter who asked the question.

“They didn’t want me, I didn’t want them.”

Sumrall became one of the more coveted Group of Five coaches during the 2025 season as Tulane won the American and went to the College Football Playoff.

Auburn, of course, was looking for a new coach too. The Tigers parted ways with Hugh Freeze and it was natural to make a connection with Sumrall and the Tigers’ open position at the time. He’s an Alabama native and his wife Ginny is an Auburn graduate.

Instead, Sumrall went to Florida, and the Tigers hired South Florida coach Alex Golesh.

One of Sumrall’s biggest priorities when he got to Gainesville was keeping RB Jadan Baugh after he rushed for 1,170 yards and eight scores in 2025. After three rushing touchdowns on Saturday night, Baugh already has eight in 2026 and has rushed for 458 yards on just 54 carries after he had 26 rushes for 162 yards against the Tigers.

Florida is 3-0 after the win and has the chance for an even bigger victory in Week 4. The Gators host No. 8 Ole Miss after the Rebels beat former coach Lane Kiffin and his No. 7 LSU 32-24 on Saturday night.

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