Ever since Auburn Tigers football coach Hugh Freeze made the mistake of a lifetime, claiming that the program's goal for the 2025 season is a bowl game, there's been a lot of attention on the highly-paid defensive coordinator, DJ Durkin.
On SI's Austin Walls penned a piece titled "Importance of D.J. Durkin’s Extension This Offseason for Auburn" that doesn't explicitly link Durkin to the potential interim head coach job if Freeze is fired, but there's writing on the wall.
Walls mentioned that stability was "essential" for the team's success in 2025 while lauding Durkin's efforts in bringing talent to the defensive side of the ball.
"Durkin has been a big reason why the Tigers were able to attract top defensive recruits from the class of 2025. This past offseason, the Tigers brought in 13 defensive players in their signing class. Originally, analysts thought there was more of an emphasis on offensive players. Instead, head coach Hugh Freeze went in on both sides of the ball after losing 28 players in 2024. As the Tigers continued to get these recruits, stability was essential for the success of the team, something former Tigers’ Eugene Asante and Jalen McLeod emphasized," Walls wrote.
Meanwhile, in discussing Freeze, Walls talked about the 55-year-old losing his job if he doesn't maximize his talent.
"The Tigers have had two losing seasons during the Freeze Era, going 6-7 and 5-7 the past two years, 11-14 in total. He will need this season to finally bring some results for Auburn or risk losing his job on the Plains. This team will be the most talented one he has had yet," Walls wrote.
It's hard not to see Durkin as the interim-in-waiting if Freeze stumbles out of the gate. Between setting low expectations and throwing players under the bus for the past two years, Freeze may be running out of rope on the Plains. Durkin is the kind of coach perfect for a rebuild: unafraid to showcase freshmen to see what he has in his youth corps.
If that's the case, AU at least gave themselves someone who can permanently take the reins in Durkin if things go well. Unlike 2022, when Cadillac Williams was chosen since there was no other alternative following Bryan Harsin's firing.