When news broke that South Florida's Alex Golesh was going to be taking over as the next head coach of the Auburn Tigers, fans had one major question: What was going to happen to DJ Durkin?
A long-time defensive coach who called defenses at Ole Miss and Texas A&M before landing at Auburn in 2024, Durkin took over for Hugh Freeze in November as the War Eagles' interim head coach, holding the fort down until a new leader could be named heading into 2026.
With Golesh now locked in, will Auburn opt to retain Durkin, or will he instead look for an opportunity elsewhere, opting to sign with another Power 5 powerhouse as a defensive coordinator or as a head coach with another organization? Well, during his introductory press conference, Golesh commented on Durkin's future and let it be known that his team will have clarity in the not-too-distant future on their defensive coordinator.
“We've got a plan,” Golesh said via ESPN. “We're working through steps to execute the plan. My hope is that in the next, call it, 24 or 48 hours, that gets finalized and we have some clarity with which direction we're going.”
While only time will tell if Golesh is able to keep Durkin in Auburn's pursuit of SEC dominance, that hasn't stopped the former USF coach from making it clear he plans to turn his new team into a contender, as he's incredibly honored to be their new head coach.
“At the end of the day, I can't wait for the fall,” Golesh said. “88,043 to cheer on our guys and give this fan base exactly what you deserve. I'm humbled. I'm honored. I'm so grateful to be here. This is a dream come true, to be the head coach at Auburn University, to represent this fan base, and I'm beyond grateful for you choosing me, John [Cohen].
“I will pay it back tenfold, man. I will give this fan base, the alumni base, the former players, and everybody involved with this university every single bit of everything I got.”
