Newly named Auburn head football coach Alex Golesh formally announced his decision to retain defensive coordinator DJ Durkin last week after Durkin served as the Tigers' interim head coach for the final three games of the season.

It was a move that Golesh said he was eager to make from the start.

“As I was going to go through and put a staff together, DJ was the defensive coordinator I wanted to hire,” said Golesh on Monday.

Durkin emerged as a strong candidate in the final hours of athletic director John Cohen’s search for a head coach – and really throughout the whole process. As a result, Auburn players voiced their opinions on the defensive playcaller, with defensive end Keldrick Faulk calling the four-week stretch with Durkin at the helm “the best four weeks of my life.”

“As you s

See Full Page