Interim coach DJ Durkin says he plans to be at Auburn ‘for the long term’
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Auburn’s search for its next head football coach is underway and interim coach DJ Durkin is one of the names gaining traction for the permanent job.
The Tigers are off this weekend before wrapping up the regular season with a pair of home games against Mercer and Alabama. Durkin kicked off the bye week with a trip to the Magic City, taking over a speaking engagement at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club that was originally scheduled for Hugh Freeze.
It didn’t take long for Durkin to get some questions about his focus on developing the program beyond just the last three weeks of the regular season.
“I have a full-time investment in this program and in this place and plan on being here for the long term. (Talking to players about staying at Auburn) are ongoing discussions all the time. I think the biggest thing to me is you can look at how our players responded and played together. That tells a lot about how they feel about one another and how they feel about this program.”
DJ Durkin
Durkin did not follow up on if he would want to stay long term only as a head coach or return to his position as defensive coordinator. But he continued to speak on his connection with the program + his players.
Auburn football bye week
In Durkin’s debut as interim coach, Auburn nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the weekend, taking No. 16 Vanderbilt to overtime.
While it was the most points allowed all season by the defense, it was a big day for the Tiger offense led by Ashton Daniels who threw for 353 yards, the most by an Auburn quarterback since Bo Nix in 2021.
“Obviously things have not gone the way they wanted a lot of the time this year but I think we have great character, great substance and great players in that room. I want them to know that and believe that about themselves and about one another.”
DJ Durkin
Now, Auburn enters the bye week needing to win out to earn its first postseason berth since 2023. The Tigers will have to take on Mercer, a team ranked No. 10 in FCS, and rival Alabama, who is currently unbeaten in SEC play and No. 4 in the country.
“The focus is we have a chance this week to get better. We have things to work on. You look at last week with a lot of things changed so this gives us a chance to be… this week is a chance really to solidify those things and hone on it so we’re going to utilize it to our advantage. We have two very important games coming up.”
DJ Durkin
The next two games may not officially have any impact on if Durkin gets the Auburn job or not but he certainly has a chance to win over the fanbase.
Durkin said he’s not worrying about that side of things though, taking it one day at a time. He said his job may have changed a little bit last week but he continues to stay focused on his relationship with the players + staff, hoping it pays off on the field and in the long run.
Those things will all be decided in due time. To me, it’s the day to day of do the best with the job you have that day.
DJ Durkin
Durkin has not been a head coach since 2018. He holds a 10-15 overall record as a head coach + a 1-1 record now as an interim coach, leading Florida to a bowl win in 2014.
In 2018, he was fired by Maryland midway through the season after a player died and ensuing reports of a toxic team environment.
“I think everything is an evolution of life. We all learn and gain from experience whatever it might be. In your profession, with your family, with how you handle situations, how you handle adversity. There are monumental ways in terms of my growth as a person, my growth as a coach. That’s always a thing to me, you have to reflect and look back on things. What was good, what was bad, what can we do better.”
DJ Durkin
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