Alex Golesh to retain DJ Durkin on Auburn football staff

One of the burning questions Auburn football fans have asked since the hiring of Alex Golesh finally has an answer.

Tuesday, Auburn athletics announced that interim head coach DJ Durkin will be retained on staff. The news comes three days after Durkin led the Tigers in the Iron Bowl, his third game as the interim head coach after serving as Auburn's defensive coordinator under Hugh Freeze.

Golesh mentioned during his introductory press conference that he was working on a deal to keep Durkin on staff. Now that the deal is done, Golesh is ready to go to work with one of the top defensive minds in college football.

“Choosing to keep DJ on our staff was an easy call," Golesh said in a statement from Auburn Athletics. "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.”

Durkin shared his desire to remain with Auburn, no matter the role. He says that he is excited to keep working with the roster that he has helped build over the last three seasons and to continue what was started.

“Coach Golesh and I have known each other long time and I’ve got a lot of respect for him, his teams and the way they work. I’m excited about what he’s going to bring to Auburn and grateful for the chance to work alongside him," Durkin said. "I love this group of players, and it mattered to me to keep pushing forward with what they have already started. The support my family and I have felt from the Auburn community has been unbelievable. This is home for us. I’m thankful for the Auburn Family and everything they’ve shown us over the last month, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

Keeping Durkin on staff is a win for player retention. Defensive players including Xavier Atkins and Keldric Faulk expressed their opinions on retaining Durkin in some capacity, so it will be interesting to see how it affects the transfer portal window that opens Jan. 2, 2026.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: DJ Durkin to stay with Auburn football, serve under Alex Golesh