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Auburn football has named defensive coordinator DJ Durkin as the interim head coach after firing Hugh Freeze Sunday afternoon. Durkin served as the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss and Texas A&M before coming to Auburn. He was the head coach at Maryland during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He was fired in 2018 at the end of a series of investigations surrounding the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair and the program’s culture under his leadership. Durkin came to Auburn in 2024 after spending time in the SEC as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. In his first season at Auburn, Durkin’s defense posted its best rushing defense since 2010 (117.8 ypg), best total defense since 2017 (330.8 ypg) and best scoring defense since 2019 (19.5 ppg). In 2025, Auburn’s defense is allowing only 18.6 PPG through eight games, marking the lowest for a DJ Durkin defense since his 2015 Michigan unit allowed 16.4 PPG for the season and finished 6th nationally. Durkin will make his debut as the interim coach in Auburn’s upcoming trip to Vanderbilt.
