Will interim DJ Durkin be considered for Auburn football head coach opening?
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AUBURN — Could Auburn football promote from within for Hugh Freeze‘s replacement? That option’s not off the table, athletic director John Cohen said Monday, Nov. 3, but only one candidate really fits the mold.
It’s the man succeeding Freeze as Auburn‘s interim coach, DJ Durkin.
Durkin will “absolutely” be considered for the full-time job, Cohen said. He declined to go any further, but he added that, “DJ is someone who has earned that opportunity. He will be part of a pool that we consider.”
“I think DJ has done an incredible job with our defense,” Cohen said. “He’s someone with incredible energy. He’s someone the student-athletes relate to. He’s someone who has strategic vision.”
As for Durkin’s interest, he effectively declined to comment. Asked a two-part question about his interest in the job and Auburn’s upcoming Vanderbilt matchup, Durkin only discussed the latter.
“Our focus is 100% on Vanderbilt,” he said. “We’re trying to go 1-0 … and that will take all of our focus, for sure.”
A long-time coordinator, Durkin has been trending toward a return to head coaching. The move to Auburn was his third consecutive job as an SEC defensive coordinator and fourth in total. He filled the same position previously at Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Durkin’s only been hired as a head coach once. Maryland signed him in 2015, but following the death of a player ahead of the 2018 season, he was placed on administrative leave. Allegations of a toxic culture within his program ensued, and on Oct. 31, 2018, he was fired.
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: Will DJ Durkin be considered for Auburn football head coach opening?
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