New Auburn coach Alex Golesh will retain defensive coordinator DJ Durkin on his new staff, CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello reports. Durkin has been with the program since 2024, when Hugh Freeze hired him to fix an ailing defense.

He made an immediate impact in his first season at Auburn. Under his guidance, the Tigers posted their best rushing defense since 2010 (117.8 ypg), the best total defense since 2017 (330.8 ypg) and the best scoring defense since 2019 (19.5 ppg).

Durkin served as Auburn's interim coach after the school fired Hugh Freeze, guiding the Tigers to a 1-2 record and a near upset of rival Alabama in the Tigers' season finale.

Auburn hired Golesh from USF on Sunday as it looks to reclaim a position as an SEC contender after five consecutive losing seasons, the school annou

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