What Alex Golesh said about retaining Auburn football interim DJ Durkin
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
AUBURN — When Alex Golesh was ideating on how to build out his next coaching staff, he admitted his top choice for defensive coordinator was already in the building he took over.
DJ Durkin is sticking around with Golesh’s iteration of Auburn football. The newly anointed head coach announced last week he was retaining Hugh Freeze‘s former defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. On Monday, Dec. 8, Golesh explained what went into his desires for keeping Durkin on the Plains.
“Being around him now every day for over a week,” Golesh said of Durkin on Monday, Dec. 8, “its reinforced what I thought all along going into it.”
Golesh said he has known Durkin since he was in college at Ohio State, nearly 20 years ago. The two also squared off when Golesh was Tennessee’s offensive coordinator from 2021 to 2022, as Durkin was coordinating Ole Miss‘ defense in 2021.
“That decision was really easy, because I do truly believe that he’s one of the best football minds in the country,” Golesh said. “I truly believe that’s one of the best — not just defensive coordinators in the country — but one of the best football coaches. … For me to be able to partner with someone like that is special.”
Durkin joined Freeze’s staff ahead of the 2024 campaign, and Auburn‘s defense was statistically middling in his first season. It ranked no better than sixth in the SEC in rushing, scoring or total defense. When Durkin was promoted to interim head coach on Nov. 2, the Tigers were a top-four scoring, total and run defense in the SEC. By the season’s end, Auburn was only top-four in the league against the run.
Durkin’s interim tenure concluded with a 1-2 record, capped by a 27-20 Iron Bowl loss to No. 10 Alabama over the weekend. His lone win came the previous weekend, in a 62-17 beatdown of FCS Mercer.
Retaining Durkin was viewed as a plus in Auburn retaining some big pieces of its latest roster, which was ranked 13th nationally in 247Sports’ talent composite, and Golesh addressed that.
“The neat thing about DJ, it’s not just the defensive side,” Golesh said. “For the time that he was the interim head coach, and I think even before that, these offensive guys that had a chance to play for him under his leadership absolutely loved him. … I would tell you really on both sides, it’s certainly a familiar face that they respect and trust, so 100% would help in the retention side.”
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: What Alex Golesh said about retaining Auburn football interim DJ Durkin
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos