Auburn retains DJ Durkin as defensive coordinator

December 3, 2025 – AUBURN – Auburn University announced that interim head coach/ defensive coordinator DJ Durkin will remain at Auburn as defensive coordinator. New Head Coach Alex Golesh made the announcement.

"Choosing to keep DJ on our staff was an easy call," said Golesh. "Our relationship goes back more than 20 years to our roots in Ohio, we have worked with some of the same men, and we've competed against each other in this great league. We are fortunate to retain one of the top defensive minds in college football here on The Plains. 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."

Golesh – age 41 – was the head Coach at the University of South Florida where he led the Bulls to 23 wins over three seasons. Prior to that he was the offensive coordinator/ tight ends coach for the University of Tennessee.

"Coach Golesh and I have known each other a long time and I've got a lot of respect for him, his teams and the way they work," said Durkin. "I'm excited about what he's going to bring to Auburn and grateful for the chance to work alongside him. I love this group of players, and it mattered to me to keep pushing forward with what they have already started."

Durkin served at the interim head coach at Auburn for three games after head Coach Hugh Freeze was fired in his third season at Auburn. In his first game, Durkin lost in overtime to Vanderbilt in Nashville. Auburn defeated Mercer handily and then lost to Alabama 20 t0 27 in a game that was tied with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Durkin was previously the head Coach at Maryland.

Auburn finished 8th in the SEC in 2025 in points allowed with 20.7 points per game. Oklahoma, Alabama, and Georgia led the SEC. Auburn was fourth in yards rushing allowed at 99.3 yards per game, behind Oklahoma, Georgia, and Texas. Auburn finished 11th in passing yards allowed at 229.8. Alabama was number one at 157.8. Auburn finished 7th at 329.7. Oklahoma was first at 273.6.

Auburn finished 5 and 7 (1 and 7 in the SEC) and ineligible for postseason play.

Golesh is the fourth head coach at Auburn since 2020.

Athletic Director John Cohen said in a statement, "We are elated to begin the Alex Golesh era of Auburn football. Throughout his career, Coach Golesh has coordinated explosive offenses and overseen dramatic turnarounds, producing wins and record-setting results at every stop, including the past three seasons as head coach at South Florida."

"As we witnessed during Monday's press conference, Coach Golesh is a ball coach," Cohen continued. "He has a passion for coaching football and pouring into young men, like his coaches did for him. His unrelenting drive comes from his parents, who brought Alex and his brother to America – and worked tirelessly to give their children a chance at a better life. That's the American dream. At Auburn, we know all about pursuing dreams. As President Dr. Chris Roberts often says, Auburn has earned the right to dream the biggest dreams. Coach Golesh will work tirelessly to deliver – as he put it Monday – the hardest-working, toughest, grittiest program in the entire country. We are also thrilled that Coach Golesh has made the decision to continue having Coach DJ Durkin coordinate Auburn's defense. Coach Durkin and Auburn's assistant coaches and staff are to be commended for the way they prepared and led our student-athletes to finish the 2025 season. As interim head coach, DJ provided outstanding leadership with unquestioned loyalty to Auburn and our team."

Auburn signed Golesh to an incentive laden package for six years (2025–2031). In year one of the contract his base salary is $6.75 million. It increases annually, reaching $8 million in Year 6. $44.25 million is guaranteed. Auburn pays a retention bonus of $250,000 annually. Golesh's deal is loaded with performance incentives. Golesh gets a win bonus of $1.5 million for every 9‑win season. The bonuses are cumulative, meaning a 12 win season could add $5.5 million extra to the deal. Golesh gets $150,000 for appearing in the SEC Championship and $300,000 for winning the SEC Championship. Golesh also gets bonuses if Auburn goes to the College Football Playoffs. Additional bonuses for each playoff victory. National Awards & Rankings: Incentives tied to coach of the year honors and top‑10 finishes.

By comparison at South Florida, Golesh earned just $2.5 million annually.

Auburn has not won seven or more games since 2019.

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