The Florida Gators have extra motivation heading to face Auburn on Saturday. Specifically, head coach Jon Sumrall has surplus reasons to want to beat the Tigers badly.
Sumrall was reportedly a top candidate for Auburn during the college football coaching carousel but ultimately was passed over for eventual hire Alex Golesh. Two games into the season, the Gators look like a higher-caliber team compared to Auburn and that could come back to bite the latter in Week 3.
Florida's first two victories were over cupcake opponents — Florida Atlantic and Campbell — but the Gators took care of business and built momentum by outscoring them 118-24. Auburn, on the other hand, had a get-right game against Southern Mississippi after needing a last-second stop to squeeze out a 17-16 win over Baylor to kick off the season. The Tigers struggled against a comparable foe, and Florida easily ranked higher than Baylor in the preseason Football Power Index.
Auburn is positioned to regret passing on Jon Sumrall for head coach
Both Golesh and Sumrall lured significant transfers to their respective programs, but the latter appears to have garnered the higher-quality talent. Specifically at quarterback, Aaron Philo looks to be the real deal for the Gators with 517 passing yards, five touchdowns and just a single interception (85.3 QBR). Byrum Brown has the potential to live up to his preseason hype for Auburn, but his three interceptions and just two touchdowns are concerning entering SEC play.
Sumrall seems to have adequately prepared Philo and his team for the spotlight, and the Gators' first two opponents were just the warmup act. Golesh and Brown, despite the victory, looked shell-shocked playing against another power conference opponent.
Auburn has been trying to restore its position as a premier destination in the SEC just as long as Florida has, but Sumrall, who lifted Tulane to a College Football Playoff berth last year, had the bigger name recognition compared to Golesh. The Tigers may have liked his coaching philosophy better, but it doesn't appear to be translating as well as Sumrall's is in Gainesville. Saturday's matchup will be the first head-to-head opportunity for either to be proven right.
Sumrall's familial ties to Auburn will also be an underlying narrative to watch. His wife, Ginny, graduated from the university and actually gave him the green light to sign with Florida after the official offer came in. Despite some flirtatious courting from the Tigers and the connections to the school, Sumrall is all-in on the Gators.
"Yeah, there's ties. But Florida pays my mortgage. So any family that is pulling against us, they ain't my family. I mean, I don't care what their last name is. You know what I mean?" He explained to press on Monday. "Look, I got a lot of respect for Auburn. Great place, good people. I got a lot of friends; my wife went to school there, so a lot of crossover but I'm a Florida Gator, and everybody affiliated with me closely is a Florida Gator, or they're not affiliated with me closely."
If you're not going to be tuned in to the bloodbath that will be No. 7 LSU vs. No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday night, then Florida vs. Auburn could be the next best alternative for you sickos.
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