Auburn football’s Alex Golesh successfully retains DJ Durkin as defensive coordinator

DJ Durkin is not going anywhere else. Auburn football’s defensive coordinator, who also took on the interim head coach role after the Tigers parted ways with Hugh Freeze, is staying with the program, as Alex Golesh takes over as the program’s new head coach.

In a statement, Golesh said that the Tigers are keeping Durkin as the team’s defensive coordinator, noting that the move was “an easy call,” (h/t Adam Rittenberg of ESPN).

“We are fortunate to retain one of the top defensive minds in college football here on The Plains,” Golesh said. “He’s an elite leader, incredible father and husband and will be phenomenal leader on the defensive side of the ball. We have great respect for each other. Time to go to work.”

The Tigers went 1-2 with Durkin as the interim head coach down the stretch of the 2025 college football season. Auburn lost to then-No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores in the team’s first game since Freeze’s firing before beating the Mercer Bears. Last Saturday, Auburn suffered a 27-20 Iron Bowl loss in a thriller at the hands of the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.

Before getting hired by Auburn in 2024, Durkin was a consultant for the Atlanta Falcons and served on the coaching staffs of the Ole Miss Rebels and the Texas A&M Aggies. He also had a stint as head coach of the Maryland Terrapins. In two seasons with the Terps, he led the program to a bowl game and put together an overall record of 10-15 with the program.

Under Durkin’s direction on defense, Auburn finished the 2025 regular season with just 20.7 points allowed per game. The Tigers have been particularly effective at stopping the run, as they are 11th nationally with only 99.3 rushing yards surrendered per contest.

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