Auburn athletics director John Cohen has had his hands full since parting ways with head coach Hugh Freeze earlier this month.
Now conducting his second head coaching search since taking over as Auburn’s AD, Cohen shared an update with 247Sports on just how active the process has been so far.
“We’ve probably had conversations with seven or eight sitting head coaches,” Cohen said. “We’ll narrow that list down soon. Ideally, I’d love to have a head coach in place within 24 hours after the Iron Bowl. Is that realistic? I’m not sure, because it really depends on how our candidates’ seasons unfold over the next three weeks.”
“That’s really the X-factor for us,” Cohen explained. “That’s my goal, and the reason behind it is simple — our players deserve to know who their leader will be. We also need clarity on what the transfer portal situation will look like, and we want to set ourselves up for a strong early signing period with our high school recruits.”
As the college football regular season enters its final three games, Cohen outlined what he’s looking for in Auburn’s next head coach.
“I really believe that over these next three weeks, more will come to light — it always does,” Cohen said. “Every athletic director in the country has that ‘just in case’ list, and you keep revisiting it as things evolve. Eventually, you have to make a decision, and that decision has to be someone who truly fits Auburn and what Auburn needs.”
Cohen went on to describe the type of leader he’s seeking. “We need someone with an edge,” he emphasized. “That’s something our players have been clear about. I spoke with one this afternoon, and I’ll be meeting with more throughout the week since we’ve got an open date. They’ve told me they want to be coached hard — treated fairly, yes, but pushed to be great. They want a leader with an edge and relentlessly high expectations. That’s our top priority.”
Right now, Auburn’s interim head coach is defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. Cohen confirmed in a press conference last week that Durkin is among the candidates under consideration for the permanent role.
Although Cohen has described himself as the entire “search committee,” he noted that he’s consulting with a range of trusted sources to evaluate every possible candidate for the Auburn job.