Auburn football needs an exorcism. Call these two names first

Auburn football needs an exorcism. Call these two names firstStory byAuburn football needs an exorcism. Call these two names firstBlake Toppmeyer, USA TODAYWed, November 26, 2025 at 10:08 AM UTC·4 min read

Nick Saban flattered Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium when he called it haunted. Truthfully, it’s been nothing but a house of horrors for the home team the past five years.

Auburn keeps getting socked in the jaw by comeuppance since its 2020 decision to fire a coach who never supplied anything except winning seasons.

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It makes you wonder, is this to be a life sentence in the loser’s jailhouse? Or, might Auburn finally be eligible for parole if it nails this next coaching hire?

College football coaching carousel: Grades for each hire, how they fit

Here’s how it’s gone lately: Auburn’s first two heirs to Gus Malzahn became two of the biggest bums in program history. If Texas A&M and Mississippi secure playoff bids this season, then half of the 16-team SEC will have qualified for the College Football Playoff at least once before Auburn made it there.

And so it is that Auburn will be in the spoiler role in this Iron Bowl, while Alabama tries to clinch a spot in the SEC Championship.

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: 134 meetings, first met in 1890, play for Paul Bunyan's Axe.Auburn vs. Georgia: 130 meetings, first played in 1892, called "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry."Virginia vs. North Carolina: 130 meetings, first played in 1892, called "South's Oldest Rivalry."Oregon vs, Oregon State: 129 meetings, first played in 1894, called "The Civil War."Cincinnati vs. Miami (Ohio): 128 meetings, first played in 1888, they play for the "Victory Bell" in the "Battle for the Bell."Cal vs. Stanford: 128 meetings, first met in 1892, in what's called the "Big Game", and they play for The Axe.Indiana vs. Purdue: 126 meetings, first played in 1891, called the "Old Oaken Bucket", which they play for.Army vs. Navy: 125 meetings, first played in 1890, simply called "The Army-Navy" game.Kansas vs. Kansas State: 123 meetings, first played in 1902, called the "Sunflower Showdown" and they play for the Governor's Cup.TCU vs. Baylor: 121 meetings, first played in 1899, called the "Bluebonnet Battle" and they play for the Bluebonnet Shield.Kansas vs. Missouri. 121 meetings, first met in 1891, called the "Border War" and they play for the Indian War Drum.Ole Miss vs. Mississippi: 121 meetings, first met in 1901, called the "Egg Bowl" and they play for the Golden Egg Trophy.Kentucky vs. Tennessee: 121 meetings, first met in 1893, no cool name or trophy just good, old-fashion border disdain.Clemson vs. South Carolina: 121 meetings, first met in 1896, game is called the "Palmetto Bowl."Texas vs. Oklahoma: 121 meetings, first met in 1900, game is called "Red River Rivalry" and they play for the Golden Hat.1 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: 134 meetings, first met in 1890, play for Paul Bunyan's Axe.1 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: 134 meetings, first met in 1890, play for Paul Bunyan's Axe.2 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Auburn vs. Georgia: 130 meetings, first played in 1892, called "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry."3 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Virginia vs. North Carolina: 130 meetings, first played in 1892, called "South's Oldest Rivalry."4 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Oregon vs, Oregon State: 129 meetings, first played in 1894, called "The Civil War."5 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Cincinnati vs. Miami (Ohio): 128 meetings, first played in 1888, they play for the "Victory Bell" in the "Battle for the Bell."6 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Cal vs. Stanford: 128 meetings, first met in 1892, in what's called the "Big Game", and they play for The Axe.7 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Indiana vs. Purdue: 126 meetings, first played in 1891, called the "Old Oaken Bucket", which they play for.8 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Army vs. Navy: 125 meetings, first played in 1890, simply called "The Army-Navy" game.9 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Kansas vs. Kansas State: 123 meetings, first played in 1902, called the "Sunflower Showdown" and they play for the Governor's Cup.10 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

TCU vs. Baylor: 121 meetings, first played in 1899, called the "Bluebonnet Battle" and they play for the Bluebonnet Shield.11 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Kansas vs. Missouri. 121 meetings, first met in 1891, called the "Border War" and they play for the Indian War Drum.12 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Ole Miss vs. Mississippi: 121 meetings, first met in 1901, called the "Egg Bowl" and they play for the Golden Egg Trophy.13 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Kentucky vs. Tennessee: 121 meetings, first met in 1893, no cool name or trophy just good, old-fashion border disdain.14 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Clemson vs. South Carolina: 121 meetings, first met in 1896, game is called the "Palmetto Bowl."15 / 15

Golden Egg, few axes and a bucket. See college football's longest running FBS rivalries

Texas vs. Oklahoma: 121 meetings, first met in 1900, game is called "Red River Rivalry" and they play for the Golden Hat.

Is Auburn cursed to mediocrity, like Nebraska?

Imagine learning in 2010, when Cam Newton crawled under the skin of Alabama fans, and Auburn was not only the loveliest but also the happiest village on the Plains, that a playoff system would arrive within a few years and Ole Miss would qualify before Auburn did.

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Careful, Auburn, because it’s a slippery slope toward Nebraska.

First you’re firing 9-3 Frank Solich, then you’re toiling through misery with Bill Callahan, Mike Riley and Scott Frost, with a gulp of air supplied by Bo Pelini in between, and, next thing you know, you’re scrambling to extend the contract of a coach who’s barely above .500, because, hey, at least Matt Rhule’s not a complete failure.

Auburn desperately needs a course correct to yank itself off the Nebraska path toward prolonged mediocrity.

Auburn remains a competitively resourced program, backed by one of the most loyal fan bases and active donors, residing in fertile recruiting terrain.

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If Missouri can be 8-3, I can’t think of a reason Auburn should be 5-6.

Auburn came oh so close to rectifying this three years ago when Lane Kiffin considered taking the job. Fallback plan Hugh Freeze became not so much a poor man’s Kiffin as a continuation of Bryan Harsin, except the sequel spoke the dialect.

Auburn didn’t bother with the Kiffin sweepstakes this time. If Kiffin leaves Mississippi, it’ll be for LSU or Florida.

Humbled Auburn is left competing for the coaching carousel’s consolation prize, Tulane's Jon Sumrall.

Would that be so bad?

I don’t know the answer to that question. Not sure how anyone could.

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Jon Sumrall or Brent Key would seem to suit Auburn

Sumrall would be promising but also unproven in a job of this magnitude. That’s more the speed of candidates for this Auburn coaching search, which comes amid a crowded carousel and with the Tigers as bruised as ever.

With Tulane in playoff contention, Sumrall has emerged as one of this hiring cycle’s buzziest names, on the tier of candidates below Kiffin. If Kiffin leaves Ole Miss, expect additional competition for Sumrall.

It’s not just that Sumrall is 41-11 across stints at Troy and Tulane. In an industry obsessed with fit, Sumrall suits the SEC like a plate of cornbread, a jumbo glass of sweet tea and saying “Bless your heart,” to convey condescension.

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Raised in Huntsville, Alabama, Sumrall has spent his entire career south of the Mason-Dixon. He looks like he could still rack up 10 tackles and a sack if you gave this former SEC linebacker a clean bill of health and a set of shoulder pads on a fall Saturday.

The past couple seasons, there's been no question whether Sumrall would become an SEC coach, but rather how soon and at which locale.

Does that make him a slam dunk? Heck, no.

Billy Napier once enjoyed status as the anointed one, himself a born and raised Southerner. The son of a coach, Napier tutored under Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban. Good credentials, right? Good enough to be a massive bust at Florida.

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Freeze knew the terrain, too. Didn’t help his offense gain first downs.

Still, when it comes to a fit of resume and personality, Sumrall pairs neatly with Auburn. So would Birmingham native Brent Key, if he’d leave Georgia Tech, his alma mater.

Schools replacing a fired coach generally head in an opposite direction with the next hire. To replace Bryan Harsin, an unpleasant interloper from out West, Auburn hired a coach inspired by Jimmy Swaggert.

Freeze, though, was an SEC retread. What's the opposite of that? A coach on the rise like Sumrall, 43, or Key, 47.

Auburn athletic director John Cohen says he wants this hire to have “a tremendous edge to them."

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“You can call it blue-collar, you can call it hard-nosed, you can call it aggressive,” Cohen said.

I hear that description, and I think Key and Sumrall would be suited to the candidate pool.

For several years, Auburn seems haunted by the Malzahn firing. It needs its next coach needs to perform an exorcism.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Auburn football wants to be aggressive. Jon Sumrall, Brent Key fit

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