Auburn's new head football coach, Alex Golesh, is working to keep one critical part of the Tigers' 2025 staff for next season: defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.
During his introductory press conference on Monday in Jordan-Hare Stadium, the 41-year-old Golesh was asked about the possibility of keeping the defensive coordinator on staff.
"We've got a plan," Golesh said. "We're working through steps to execute the plan. My hope is that in the next 24-48 hours that it's finalized and we have some clarity with which direction we're going."
Golesh was the choice as the next head coach by Auburn athletic director John Cohen after Durkin seemed to be in the running for the same position after serving as the Tigers' interim head coach for the final three games of the season. With Golesh being an offensive-minded coach, many wondered who he would bring in to run a defense that finished 31st in the FBS in yards allowed this season, giving up 329.2 per game.
Durkin, popular with the current players, would be an optimal way to ensure there isn't a massive exodus from a defense that returns Xavier Atkins, Keyron Crawford and Eric Winters, among others, and has a chance to be just as good, if not better, next season.
Outside of a 45-point performance by Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt, the largest amount of points Durkin's defense gave up this season was in Saturday's 27-20 Iron Bowl loss to Alabama. If Durkin were to remain as defensive coordinator, some other familiar faces could stay on staff, helping keep continuity on that side of the ball.
Golesh was hired on Sunday by Auburn after three years in charge at USF, where he led the Bulls to a 23-15 record, including 9-3 this season, with a monumental win early in the season against Florida in The Swamp.