Auburn’s coaching search has widened significantly in the two weeks since the school fired Hugh Freeze.
The Tigers reportedly engaging nearly a dozen candidates as athletic director John Cohen works find a new head football coach for the program’s future.
As the season is approaching the final weeks, many are wondering who might be in the running to take over on The Plains. Auburn has explored a broad range of profiles while keeping an eye on the timing of a possible run on big names.
According to On3's Pete Nakos, Auburn has “had conversations with roughly 10 candidates,” a group that includes Jon Sumrall, interim coach D.J. Durkin, Clark Lea, Brent Key, Eli Drinkwitz, Eric Morris, Alex Golesh and Ryan Silverfield, among others. Nakos added that Sumrall, Lea, Durkin and Drinkwitz have emerged as early frontrunners for the position.
One name notably not on Auburn’s list was former Penn State coach James Franklin. Despite entering the cycle as a perceived top target for multiple jobs, including Auburn, Franklin is “not expected to be a factor in the search,” according to Nakos.
Franklin was fired Oct. 12 after a 3-3 start in Happy Valley and has been linked to several other openings and has reportedly held preliminary talks with Virginia Tech.
As bowl season approaches, Auburn’s pursuit is expected to intensify, even as the Tigers appear to be moving on from one of the cycle’s most prominent free agents. They'll try to find another one soon.
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