Auburn football DC DJ Durkin explains staying on Alex Golesh's staff
· Yahoo Sports
AUBURN — For all the recruiting Alex Golesh has done since becoming Auburn football's head coach, the first commitment he landed was his predecessor's.
Days after Golesh was hired, the program announced DJ Durkin, its interim head coach for the final three games of the 2025 season, would stay on as Golesh's defensive coordinator.
It was a decision Durkin described as simple in his first comments to the media since Golesh came into the fold.
"I've had enough experience in college football, and coaching in general, to know when you're at a great place, don't be in a hurry to leave it," Durkin said Wednesday, Feb. 4. "I think Auburn is a great place. I think we can win at the very highest level here; compete for championships. We will do that. I love the guys I get to coach on a daily basis. I love this community, this university. My family really loves it here. Those things are all easy."
Both Durkin and Golesh have always been in similar orbits of the already small coaching fraternity. Both got their starts in Ohio. Both have been assistant coaches in the SEC.
Golesh has described his defensive coordinator as someone he would've targeted for the same role with any job he took, and to this point, the pairing's been a good one in Durkin's eyes.
"I think he has a really good, detailed plan of how he wants things done in every aspect of the program," Durkin said of Golesh. "There's a good plan in place and good reason behind it. He's an extremely hard worker. He's extremely approachable — I love that. We've had good conversations on a lot of things. You can tell there's good feedback on both sides in those conversations, which I love. I think our players feel it, too. I think they see it.
"As a coach or a player, when you're part of something, an organization, you want to know there's good reason why with everything we're doing it. When you know what that is, and feel good about it, what else can you ask for?"
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: What DJ Durkin said about sticking with Auburn football after interim stint