Auburn football team athletic director John Cohen made it clear the Tigers were not as “close” as Hugh Freeze insisted. After a promising start dissolved into a 4-5 mess capped by a three-point offensive showing in a loss to Kentucky, Cohen said narrow margins do not matter if the job is not getting done.

He stressed that results, not almosts, would drive the next hire, while giving interim coach D.J. Durkin a real shot at the job as he leads a defense that has steadily improved the last two seasons. Cohen added that he will lean on industry voices and data in the process, but that he alone is effectively the committee.

According to On3, Auburn has already moved aggressively into search mode. The Tigers have spoken with roughly 10 coaching candidates since firing Freeze two weeks ago, signaling a wide net rather than a preordained favorite.

Among those in the mix are Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, current defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea, Penn State’s James Franklin, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, North Texas’ Eric Morris, USF head coach Alex Golesh, and Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield.

Conversations to this point have focused on fit, program-building chops, and the ability to navigate the SEC grind.

All of it comes after Auburn decided to swallow what On3 previously framed as a manageable bullet: Freeze’s $15.8 million buyout. The decision followed a 10-3 home loss to Kentucky that dropped the Tigers to 4-5 and extended a 1-5 slide in league play.

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Earlier in the season, Auburn’s frustration had already boiled over, especially after close defeats to Oklahoma and Georgia that later drew SEC acknowledgments of officiating errors.

Even so, the record is what it is, and Freeze was staring at a likely third straight losing season with tough games against Vanderbilt and Alabama still on the slate.

Now, Auburn is trying to turn that frustration into a reset. Durkin will audition down the stretch while Cohen weighs external options, from established Power Five names like Franklin and Drinkwitz to rising-group candidates like Sumrall, Golesh, and Morris.

However, the search ends, Auburn’s message is obvious: being “close” is no longer good enough, and the next coach will be judged on finishing games, not explaining them.