Report: DJ Durkin emerging as target for Auburn defensive coordinator opening

DJ Durkin emerged as the target for Auburn’s defensive coordinator opening, according to Matt Zenitz. Durkin previously coached at Texas A&M in the same role and once was the head coach of Maryland.

Durkin would be the latest addition Hugh Freeze’s staff going into Year 2. The defensive coordinator coached under Jimbo Fisher before the administration elected to fire him and hire Mike Elko as the new head coach.

Auburn went 6-7 under Freeze during his first season. The addition of Durkin could certainly provide a boost to the defensive side of the ball.

If Durkin is indeed the hire, he’ll likely have total control of the defense while Freeze focuses on the offense. The head coach recently revealed he’ll take over play calling in 2024.

With Freeze taking back the keys, it’s a sign he’s shifting into a “win-now” type of mentality as he gets ready for his second year, according to Auburn Live’s Justin Hokanson.

“It’s a really interesting dynamic,” Hokanson told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “I think he’s definitely more comfortable calling plays, and he feels like he’s good at that. He made the comment this year at one point that, he said at one point, ‘I would like to think of myself as is one of the better play-callers in college football.’ But to his credit, it was a moment of honesty. He kind of was like, ‘But I don’t know that that’s necessarily now, but at one point, I thought I was that person.’ And so he thinks a lot of his ability to call plays.

“I think the way the offense sort of unfolded this year, made him go, ‘I don’t know that I can be on the outside looking into this thing,’ because he wanted to be involved, but there were some terminology issues that sort of caused some hesitancy where Philip Montgomery had inserted his entire offense and terminology, and there were times where Hugh was hesitant to get involved because he didn’t completely know all of that terminology.

And so he’s like, ‘Well, if I step in here, I could make things more confusing.’ But you could see it on his face. He was struggling with, ‘Do I get involved? How much do I get involved? Do I let Philip Montgomery do the job? Am I gonna make it worse if I get involved?’”