The DJ Durkin hire makes sense for Auburn but time will tell if the Tigers truly upgraded at defensive coordinator

It took longer than expected, but Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze finally filled out his 2024 staff Monday night, hiring former Texas A&M defensive coordinator DJ Durkin to the same position with the Tigers. 

The move came with some expected backlash due to Durkin’s controversial exit at Maryland where he was fired as head coach in 2017 following the tragic death of Terps offensive lineman Jordan McNair. The 19-year-old died of heatstroke after an offseason workout. 

Those in Auburn circles, though, universally praised Freeze’s hire, and framed the move as a homerun and a staff upgrade after Ron Roberts left for a position at Florida. Many noted that Nick Saban reportedly targeted Durkin as Alabama’s next DC before he opted to retire. Similarly, Eli Drinkwitz purportedly went after Durkin for Missouri’s DC opening. 

Durkin’s time at Maryland has been well-litigated, so I’ll withhold comment on all his second chances. But the notion that Auburn suddenly will be much improved defensively because Durkin — who has SEC experience at Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M — is now calling the shots might be jumping the gun a bit. 

First, pairing Durkin with veteran defensive backs coach and co-DC Charles Kelly makes perfect sense for the Tigers. Freeze was clearly looking for a “head coach on defense” as he plans to be more involved (see: play-calling) offensively next season. Durkin is a well-respected defensive mind, and he’s a proven recruiter who should flourish on the Plains. He has plenty of name cache in SEC circles, coaching for Will Muschamp, Lane Kiffin and Jimbo Fisher. He was also Jim Harbaugh’s inaugural DC at Michigan back in 2015, spending a season in Ann Arbor before becoming Maryland’s head coach. 

He’s employed all manner of defenses, from an odd-front 3-4 to a 3-3-5 scheme at Ole Miss. A hallmark of Durkin’s defenses has been keeping opponents out of the end zone — which is important! He improved his team’s scoring defense in Year 1 at both Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

Still, time will tell if Durkin can actually take Auburn’s defense to another level. He’s a quality assistant but it’s been a while since he’s fielded a top-flight unit. 

Durkin’s defenses at Michigan (Top 10 in scoring, yards per play) and Florida were great, but even with all the talent at his disposal in College Station, the Aggies were middle of the pack nationally in yards per play both seasons. 

Aggies fans grew frustrated over how Durkin utilized a unit chocked with 4- and 5-star studs — particularly along the defensive line. Durkin produced some nice results at Texas A&M, but his defenses lacked any sort of consistent identity. 

Last season, Texas A&M was great at getting after the quarterback (SEC-best 42 sacks in 2023) and stopping the run (3.4 yards per carry allowed, No. 3 in the SEC). The Aggies were torched by any passing attack with a pulse, though. 

That was the complete inverse from Durkin’s first year at Texas A&M, where his unit couldn’t record sacks (just 19, second-fewest in the SEC) or stop the run (last in the SEC) but had the league’s top pass defense. 

So what can Auburn expect in 2024? 

TBD. 

The Tigers weren’t great defensively in Year 1 for Freeze, but they were actually slightly better than Texas A&M at getting off the field on 3rd downs (31.7% vs. 32.2%) and allowed just one more point per game (23.1 vs. 24.1) against SEC competition — despite having a decided talent disadvantage.  

With a Top 10 recruiting class and some underrated wins in the transfer portal, the roster should be better this fall. The overall staff, despite some concerning turnover, looks improved on paper, too. 

Considering Freeze’s available options and Durkin’s extensive SEC ties, the hire makes total sense for Auburn. That doesn’t mean the move is guaranteed to produce dramatically improved results, though.