The college football coaching carousel has been spinning around the same handful of big-name candidates for weeks. And Tulane’s Jon Sumrall and USF’s Alex Golesh now sit squarely at the center of it. Sumrall, coming off a 10-2 season, has emerged as the leading candidate at Florida, while Golesh is drawing strong interest from Arkansas and others. With speculation intensifying, both coaches have finally spoken about where they stand and what comes next.

“Jon Sumrall said he will talk to his family tonight and visit with Tulane AD David Harris tomorrow to discuss his future,” wrote columnist Jeff Duncan. “He said ‘opportunities’ have presented themselves to him, but that he wants & plans to coach the team in the American Conference championship game Friday.”

Following their 27-0 win against Charlotte, the 43-year-old HC, who guided Tulane to a 9-3 season with an AAC title game appearance in 2024, now has a chance to win this season’s conference title in just his second year after his success at Troy. Perhaps that’s why his focus is clear, and he’s avoiding all the noise of coaching speculation. Tulane, meanwhile, has already taken steps to keep him home.

“In an attempt to retain Jon Sumrall, Tulane has extended to him a multi-year offer averaging more than $4M a year, sources tell @YahooSports,” wrote Ross Dellenger. “It would make him the second-highest-paid non-A4 coach in the country.”

With that, it now seems Sumrall is no longer in a 50-50 situation, as his vision for Tulane appears clear. Meanwhile, after a 52–3 rout of Rice, Alex Golesh made it clear he isn’t ready to make any decisions yet. With Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and even a potential Ole Miss opening linked to his name, the 41-year-old coach said he needs time before addressing his future. 

“I’ve stressed like crazy, and I’ve said this 100 times: I’m not smart enough to be able to focus on two things at once,” said Golesh. “I told them on Wednesday, man, just give me, give me some time to process everything that’s going on, because I have not had time.

“I’ve not had time with my family. I’ve not had time with my wife to process everything that’s going on. So we’re going to take some time to process this and figure it out…. I owe it to this entire university to process it the right way, to think about everybody involved… And the first people that we’ll know will be our players.”

His hesitation comes with good reason. Golesh has rebuilt South Florida at a speed few expected. After inheriting a program that went 4–29 before he arrived, he’s produced back-to-back 7-6 seasons, two bowl wins, and now sits at 8-3 in Year 3. That kind of turnaround has put him near the top of multiple coaching lists, and USF leadership knows it.

Still, nothing is guaranteed until this season wraps. Both coaches have the kind of potential that draws heavy interest, and plenty of voices around the sport have already made their opinions clear.

Experts’ take on these two coach’s future

Jon Sumrall’s name just jumped to the top of Florida’s wish list. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Tulane HC is now the leading candidate in Gainesville. However, it’s not just Florida circling, either. Thamel reports Sumrall was once in Auburn’s mix, but the Tigers have shifted elsewhere, leaving the Gators as the clear frontrunner, and it’s backed by wins.

While he’s 41-11 as an HC and delivered back-to-back Sun Belt titles at Troy, if Florida wants a builder and a steady hand, the path seems obvious. On the flip side, USF is in full protect-the-king mode. Bulls CEO Rob Higgins stepped forward with a calm-but-firm message.

“Since Saturday’s game, Coach Golesh has been presented with outside opportunities that he has been transparent about with us,” said Higgins. “We are respectful and supportive of Coach and his family in their decision-making process. We’ll remain in constant communication.”

While the school knows Golesh has options, the communication lines are wide open, so there’s nothing fixed. Now, only the end of the national title race can finally put a full stop to this ongoing coaching hunt.