Durkin will stick around for at least one year longer on the Plains Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Importance of D.J. Durkin’s Extension This Offseason for Auburn

Originally posted on Auburn Tigers on SI
By Austin Walls | Last updated May 18, 2025 7:58 AM ET

One of the most important moves the Auburn Tigers had this offseason was not anything that happened on the field or anything that involved a player. Instead, it was the extension of defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin through the 2027 season, adding a year onto his existing contract. The extension makes Durkin one of the highest-paid assistants in all of college football. He will receive $2.5 million as his base salary.

"It was huge for me," Freeze said Thursday at the Jimmy Rane Foundation's annual scholarship fundraiser banquet. "I don't fool a whole lot with the defense... I have so much trust in whoever we hire in that spot, and DJ has been the most organized, passionate, energetic."

Durkin has been a big reason why the Tigers were able to attract top defensive recruits from the class of 2025. This past offseason, the Tigers brought in 13 defensive players in their signing class. Originally, analysts thought there was more of an emphasis on offensive players. Instead, head coach Hugh Freeze went in on both sides of the ball after losing 28 players in 2024. As the Tigers continued to get these recruits, stability was essential for the success of the team, something former Tigers’ Eugene Asante and Jalen McLeod emphasized.

"They're going to be extremely talented — especially under Coach Durkin and his leadership," Asante said.

This talent coming in should help the Tigers take another step forward on defense. In 2024, they were ninth in total yards allowed (330.8) and eighth in points allowed per game (21.3) in the SEC.

The Tigers have had two losing seasons during the Freeze Era, going 6-7 and 5-7 the past two years, 11-14 in total. He will need this season to finally bring some results for Auburn or risk losing his job on the Plains. This team will be the most talented one he has had yet.