Greg McElroy says there’s only one candidate Auburn search should focus on
By David Wasson
Published:
College football analyst Greg McElroy thinks the Auburn Tigers may have blown their chances to land Tulane coach Jon Sumrall by not hiring Sumrall right away – opening the door for Florida to assess Sumrall and potentially hire him instead.
“It would be Auburn’s fault, in my opinion, for waiting,” McElroy said Friday on the McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning radio show on WJOX-FM in Birmingham. “That would be a big mistake. You’ve got a good guy, a good candidate who has an appeal towards Auburn. And the longer you drag your feet, the more likely other schools are going to be in the mix.”
Florida, which is seeking a replacement for Billy Napier, has reportedly moved on from pursuing Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin in recent days. Auburn, which fired Hugh Freeze as well during this unprecedented coaching carousel, is said to be considering interim coach DJ Durkin as well as Sumrall.
“You thought Florida, for example, would be prohibitive for Sumrall because of the parallels that exist between Sumrall’s track record and pedigree and Billy Napier’s track record and pedigree,” McElroy said. “Can’t take another G-5 coach from Louisiana, can you? Now, all of a sudden, Florida is very interested in Sumrall – and Florida is a better job than Auburn.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
