DJ Durkin to Unleash Young, but Talented Auburn Tigers

Consistency and communication is fundamental to DJ Durkin's attack-based Auburn Tigers defensive revolution

Auburn Tigers defensive coordinator DJ Durkin / Austin Perryman, Auburn University Athletics

Auburn Tigers defensive coordinator DJ Durkin plans to bring a much more dynamic and attacking defense to The Plains this season.

Simply pinning their ears back and throwing caution to the wind is being overly simplistic, but rest assured that Durkin likes giving opposing offensive lines a bloody nose.

Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze has frequently talked up how his new assistants have brought fresh ideas to the mix ever since they arrived on the Plains.

In particular, when Freeze recruited Durkin to his staff, he found a kindred spirit who approaches coaching in the same way as himself.

"When I interviewed DJ (Durkin), the thing that I was most impressed with was he kind of coaches defense like I believe offense should be taught," Freeze said of his defensive coordinator. "Where you can give a lot of different looks, but the communication system makes it pretty simple. And I was really, really impressed with that."

Simply unleashing a new mindset to playing defense is only part of Durkin's plan, as Freeze revealed, it's communicating the more complex rudiments of attacking from multiple angles which will make this unit really tick.

"He can give you a lot of looks, and it makes it complicated for the O-line, for the quarterback," Freeze elaborated. "And I do think it comes back to the fact that his system is just one that I was really impressed with, where people think we do a lot on offense. I don't think our kids feel that way, but we can make it look that way. And I think he's kind of got that same knack for calling defenses, and you've got to change up looks, and he does it really well."

Practice sessions have allowed Freeze and Durkin to work on the finer points of the installations, but it's funny how it all invariably circles back to simply stacking reps, especially if you want to improve the basics like tackling.

Work on the practice field will continue in the meantime. Freeze has stressed that the best approach to coaching both the offense and defense in the same clear and concise manner it will deliver results.

"I think each team presents its own challenges, but like I said I've been pleased with what I sense in the team room right now and the way they're competing with each other," Freeze enthused.

Truth is, the major goal to deliver a consistent approach is pretty smart, because even in college terms, this new-look Auburn Tigers team will hitch its wagon to a host of talented youngsters in 2024.

Freeze recruited a top-10 class in 2024, and he has a top-5 class currently in 2025, and they've been stacked with defensive linemen. Even his first-partial class in 2023 included Keldric Faulk as its top commitment.

Amaris Williams joined the fold last year, a 5-star from Clinton, N.C., and Freeze's 2025 class is loaded with pressure players including its top-3 commits Jared Smith, Malik Autry, and Jakaleb Faulk.

Therefore, they'll be crying out for a universal message to be conveyed toward them day-in and day-out.

So far, so good.