The college football coaching carousel is beginning to spin faster as Monday arrives, and some of the early moves could have ripple effects across the SEC.
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the nationwide coaching landscape is becoming clearer. Programs are starting to make decisions — either sticking with their current head coach or preparing to move on and begin a new search.
For Auburn, interim head coach DJ Durkin still holds the reins, and both interest in him and buzz around the job itself are beginning to intensify.
With athletic director John Cohen aiming to announce a permanent hire on the Sunday after the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29, the coaching dominoes are entering the stage where they begin to fall. So what’s the latest in Auburn’s search?
Durkin building his case
Though he’s only coached one game since taking over in early November, Durkin is already making strategic moves within the program.
On Monday, AL.com’s Auburn beat writer Peter Rauterkus reported that Durkin has been proactive about keeping the current roster together — both for the remainder of the season and for the future. Durkin said last week he’s “very involved” in re-recruiting players and plans to be at Auburn “for the long term.”
He also met with players’ families, and according to multiple people present, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. The meeting served as both an introduction for those who didn’t know him well and an opportunity for families to raise questions and get clarity.
There appears to be strong support for Durkin inside the locker room, and keeping him in some capacity could help Auburn avoid major roster turnover.
Cohen has already confirmed that Durkin is a legitimate candidate for the full-time job, though he’s competing within a deep field. How much weight player support carries in the decision remains unclear, but Cohen has emphasized that he wants a coach with “edge” and high competitiveness.
Durkin on his ongoing ‘job interview’
By Saturday, Durkin will have been in charge for more than three weeks, giving him one of the most public audition processes among Cohen’s candidates.
During his weekly press conference, Durkin didn’t shy away from the topic of his candidacy.
“I view every day here on the job as an interview. I think you’re getting a good glimpse of what I would be as a head coach here. I just treat it that way,” he said Monday.
He added that he has near-daily conversations with Cohen and the administration about various aspects of the program — discussions that would be typical regardless of the situation. For now, he stressed, the staff’s full attention is on the team and preparing for this week’s game. Everything else, he said, will sort itself out in time.
Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall shouts instructions from the sideline during a matchup against Northwestern at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2025. (Sophia Germer/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
What was a list of seven or eight potential candidates just a week ago has now reportedly been narrowed to four. According to CBS Sports, Auburn’s coaching search has zeroed in on four primary targets: interim head coach DJ Durkin, Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea.