The college football coaching carousel has fans across the country glued in to every breaking development. For LSU, not only are fans eager to see who the school picks to be Brian Kelly's replacement, but fans are also wondering which coaches will be eliminated from the mix by taking another job. Several other SEC jobs are open, which means that down the road, LSU will have to go up against a coach who is in the running for the current job opening in Baton Rouge.
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One move that LSU fans don't want to see happen is Jon Sumrall to Auburn. Sumrall is a rising star in the coaching ranks, and has done nothing but win over the last four seasons at Troy and Tulane. Sumrall is a popular name on LSU hot boards, and seeing him go to Auburn would sting.
Jon Sumrall to Auburn would spell bad news for LSU
As one of the top rising coaches in the sport, Sumrall has been linked to several high-profile jobs in recent months. Earlier this week, On3's Pete Nakos reported that Sumrall was legitimate candidate for the Auburn job. ESPN's "SportsCenter" host Matt Barrie thinks that bringing in Sumrall would be a home run hire for Auburn.
“I think Sumrall’s a home run at Auburn,” Barrie said. “He’s from Alabama. He grew up in the state. He’s going to have to bring an offense with him. A defensive-minded head coach. A former linebacker at Kentucky. So, that’s just his side of the ball. They’re going to have to be something to keep the fans engaged.”
Sumrall is in his second season at Tulane after spending two seasons at Troy. He led the Trojans to an outstanding 23-4 record and is 16-7 at Tulane thus far. His name has been featured on LSU hot boards since the day Kelly was fired, along with the likes of Lane Kiffin, Joe Brady, and Kenny Dillingham, among others.
Given his Louisiana ties and winning pedigree, Sumrall would be a great candidate for LSU. But if Auburn makes the move to bring him in, it would be a huge missed opportunity for LSU. Sumrall is a proven winner and has shown he can get the job done as he's made his way through the coaching ranks in a short amount of time. Seeing him go to another SEC school would hurt. Plus, LSU would have to worry about facing Sumrall in future head-to-head matchups if he does in fact land the Auburn job. Only time will tell how this all shakes out, but whoever lands Sumrall is getting a bonafide star.