Alex Golesh retains Auburn football defensive coordinator DJ Durkin

This story will be updated.

AUBURN — DJ Durkin is staying on the Plains for the 2026 season.

Auburn football announced Tuesday, Dec. 2, that newly hired head coach Alex Golesh is retaining Durkin, presumably as his defensive coordinator. Golesh said at his introductory press conference that he'd yet to have an update on Durkin's status, but he provided an answer to his biggest staff-related question in a statement Tuesday.

“Choosing to keep DJ on our staff was an easy call," Golesh said. "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 was elevated to interim head coach Nov. 2, a day removed from Hugh Freeze's firing. Durkin was Freeze's defensive coordinator the past two seasons. Athletics director John Cohen said throughout his search that Durkin was not only a candidate for the full-time job, but that he'd like to retain Durkin for the 2026 season.

Durkin's interim tenure concluded with a 1-2 record, capped by a 27-20 Iron Bowl loss to No. 10 Alabama over the weekend. His lone win came the previous weekend, in a 62-17 beatdown of FCS Mercer. Otherwise, much like Freeze, he coached the Tigers to a pair of one-score losses against ranked SEC opponents. Auburn lost in overtime, 45-38, to then-No. 16 Vanderbilt, in Durkin's interim debut.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alex Golesh retaining DJ Durkin on Auburn football staff