This weekend marks the final weekend of the regular season sending most programs into the offseason. This offseason is shaping up to be one of the craziest we've seen in a long time as the coaching carousel has already started to shift the narrative around several top programs. Every time the coaching carousel turns chaotic, it becomes a game of musical chairs, but there are big dominoes that start everything.
There isn't a bigger domino in this year's coaching carousel than Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels will hope to keep their coach, and while Florida appeared to pull out of the race, the LSU Tigers are still hoping they can win the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes.
With Lane Kiffin seemingly down to two programs, the biggest domino in the coaching carousel now may be Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. While Lane Kiffin is the focus of the coaching carousel, no one has more suitors than Jon Sumrall.
Tulane would love to keep their head coach, but Auburn, Florida, LSU, and potentially Ole Miss would all love to hire him away. Auburn seemed like the most likely destination, but Florida moving on from Lane Kiffin makes Sumrall their top target.
The chase for Jon Sumrall will seemingly come to a head on Sunday as ESPN’s Pete Thamel has reported that Jon Sumrall will make a decision.
Sources: Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is expected to make a decision on his coaching future on Sunday morning. He's expected to choose between staying at Tulane, and his outside opportunities have included significant interest from Florida and Auburn. pic.twitter.com/mEiLUKgcvn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 28, 2025
The date of Sunday is notable as Lane Kiffin is expected to make a decision on Saturday. If Kiffin goes to LSU, Ole Miss will have a strong chance to make Sumrall their hire while Kiffin standing put could keep Sumrall in Louisiana at LSU.
Lane Kiffin is going to cash in more than any other coach this offseason, but in the end it may be Jon Sumrall who gets rewarded the most.