The dust has barely settled after Auburn’s devastating loss to Kentucky, marking the end of Hugh Freeze’s reign. As the program finds itself at a crossroads, interim head coach DJ Durkin has shown promise but not permanence. Now, analyst Mike Gittens cuts straight to the point: there are two viable potential candidates – and that’s it.

During Monday’s appearance on 3 Man Front, the Auburn sports journalist had to weigh in on naming three candidates to replace Hugh Freeze. He didn’t name three, but didn’t hold back from announcing two names. “I think I’m looking at Rhett Lashlee. I’m looking at Jon Sumrall, and I don’t have a third here. I honestly don’t know if there are three truly viable candidates at this point,” said Gittens.

First up is Jon Sumrall. The 43-year-old head coach’s team received an honor from CBS Sports as “Week 11’s second most impressive team,” boasting a 7-2 overall record in its second season. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum also mentioned Sumrall as Auburn’s next HC. “The betting favorite at Auburn is Jon Sumrall, the Tulane coach who held on Friday night, won at Memphis 38-3,” said the ESPN personality.

However, while the Tulane HC’s stunning display makes him a potential candidate for the Auburn HC position, Rhett Lashlee has a connection with the program. The Southern Methodist HC served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Auburn from 2013 to 2016. Before that, from 2009 to 2010, he also served as a graduate assistant. With such experience, he could have helped take the reins, but Lashlee recently signed a two-year contract extension with SMU, running through 2032.

Since joining in 2022, through four seasons, he has a 34-15 record, and last season, he guided the team to a CFP appearance. To cap it off, under his leadership, SMU won the ACC title in 2023 and finished as ACC runner-up in 2024. With such a display of potential, grabbing the attention of ADs in the coaching-firing era is natural.

However, Gittens ensured that Auburn AD John Cohen would make the final decision. “I’m going to sit down with JOHN COHEN in a few hours to talk about just this. He said last Monday, when asked about whether he would use a search for him or not. He said, ‘I am the committee.’… I think he’s going to make the right decision for Auburn.”

Now, while the final decision is pending with two games remaining this season, is there any chance that Auburn will stick with Durkin? “If keeping Durkin means maintaining the talent, and then going out and getting him some staff support, and you can collaborate on that. I’m not sure that that’s not the best option,” said Gittens. Here, Paul Finebaum delivered a bold take.

Inside Auburn’s coaching search, despite Durkin showing promise

Under the interim head coach’s leadership, a 45-38 overtime defeat to Vanderbilt dropped the Tigers to 4-6. But they put up 563 yards of total offense and pushed a top-15 team to the brink. However, it’s a clear sign Auburn didn’t rally behind its new leader after Hugh Freeze’s departure. In all honesty, the school yearns for a steady hand at the top.

Here, Paul Finebaum didn’t waste time making his stance clear for Durkin. “I’ve rarely ever seen such a transformation, so I think DJ Durkin ought to be seriously considered,” said Finebaum. “Now I know a lot of people might get hung up on that he had to win the game, but in my opinion, the result was a tremendous win for Auburn considering the difference in a seven-week period.”

While Durkin’s turnaround is deserving of serious attention, the interim HC didn’t hold back in expressing his feelings after the Vanderbilt loss.

“These guys, every coach in the country is calling this team, trying to drag them in the portal. They stuck together for one another. So no moral victories. No nothing. We’re unhappy about it,” said Durkin.

Under Durkin, Ashton Daniels led the charge with 353 passing yards – a significant improvement, nonetheless. Now with Finebaum’s endorsement on the table, Durkin’s candidacy for the full-time Auburn job gains surprising momentum. But we will see what Cohen decides at the end of this season.