Auburn coaching search: Report reveals latest on DJ Durkin's chances at landing full-time job

Auburn interim coach DJ Durkin is gaining momentum as a contender to be the next head coach for the Tigers, according to CBS Sports. This comes after On3’s Chris Low, Brett McMurphy and Pete Nakos reported that Tulane‘s Jon Sumrall is now being looked at as a favorite for the open Florida job.

Sumrall had long been considered a candidate to take over at Auburn, but with that looking less likely the Tigers are exploring additional options. In the two games that he’s coached since Hugh Freeze was fired, he’s led the Tigers to a 1-1 record with the loss being a high-scoring overtime loss to a ranked Vanderbilt team.

Durkin will lead Auburn into the Iron Bowl on Saturday, and a win will qualify the Tigers for a bowl game. Per CBS Sports, a win over Alabama would “strengthen” Durkin’s chances of being hired as the team’s next head coach.

In the past, Tigers athletic director John Cohen has said that Durkin will be considered for the head coaching job. Nakos reported that Auburn will want to keep him in-house regardless of who Cohen hires for the job.

Durkin entered 2025 in his second season as the team’s defensive coordinator. He’s said that he considers every day he’s interim coach as a job interview. Cohen is getting a first-hand look at what Auburn would look like under his guidance.

Additionally, Durkin was nominated for the Broyles Award, which is handed out annually to college football’s top assistant coach. Many recipients of the award move forward to head coaching positions with examples over the last decade being Lincoln Riley, Brent Venables and Steve Sarkisian, among others.

Of course, if Durkin was given the job, it wouldn’t be his first as a head coach. He was the head coach at Maryland between 2016–2018 where he went 10-15 overall, including 1-1 in bowl games.

Durkin has been in the coaching industry since the 2001-02 season, and some of his previous stops as defensive coordinator include Florida, Michigan, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. He also spent the 2019 season as a defensive consultant for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL after moving on from Maryland.

He can enhance his case on Saturday night when they host Alabama inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The opening kickoff for the Iron Bowl is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call for the 90th edition of the Iron Bowl.