DJ Durkin a ‘strong contender’ for Auburn job, per report
By David Wasson
Published:
The 90th Iron Bowl pitted unranked Auburn against No. 10 Alabama on Saturday, with interim coach DJ Durkin leading the Tigers in an effort to upend the Crimson Tide’s CFP and SEC Championship Game berths.
According to CBS Sports, Durkin is also a “strong contender” to remove the interim tag from his title and become Auburn’s 30th coach. Durkin’s best chance to get the job, according to writers Matt Zenitz and John Talty, would be if Tulane coach Jon Sumrall takes another Power 4 job.
Sumrall, who is 41-11 in 4 seasons as a head coach at Tulane and Troy – is reportedly the leading candidate for the Florida vacancy in what has been the wildest coaching carousel in recent memory.
Durkin has settled the Tigers program after the firing of Hugh Freeze and was 1-1 entering Saturday’s game. Durkin’s team downed Mercer 62-17 last week and narrowly lost to then-No. 16 Vanderbilt 45-38.
Durkin previously served as Florida’s interim head coach for a bowl game after Will Muschamp stepped down in 2014. Durkin got his first head coaching job at Maryland in 2016, but went 10-15 and was fired shortly before the start of the 2018 season following a player death and toxic culture allegations.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
