Texas A&M football fans befuddled by Auburn's decision to shell out for DJ Durkin
Texas A&M football under Jimbo Fisher had several interesting coaching moves over the past few years. Nothing quite compares to the terrible outcome that hiring Steve Addazio turned out to be for the Aggies, but besides him, there was perhaps no assistant coach hire more discussed for Aggie fans than that of DJ Durkin.
Following the departure of Mike Elko to Duke, Fisher needed a big time name to take over at the defensive coordinator spot. He opted for Durkin, who had a stellar record as a defensive coach, but a guy whose glory days seemed to be behind him.
The new Aggie DC had a far different style than Elko, which led to quite a bit of controversy among the fanbase. Most notably, Durkin's penchant for three-down looks perturbed Aggie fans when the rush defense didn't look the way they hoped in 2022.
All in all, though, he really was not a bad defensive coordinator— he just wasn't Mike Elko. He had an elite pass defense in the first year in College Station, and an elite rush defense in the second year.
Last year, he departed for Auburn after the return of Elko as head man. He did okay there, but not amazing. The Aggies, though they got off to a slow start on the Plains, did not really struggle against his unit in their game against the Tigers.
So it really was a head-scratcher for Aggie fans when the news came down today that the Auburn brass had elected to make this decision:
Auburn DC DJ Durkin's new deal - nearly doubling his pay to $2.5 million - makes him, it would appear, the second-highest paid assistant coach in the country behind Penn State DC Jim Knowles. https://t.co/5xxB3RQP64
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) February 10, 2025
I've been on the "Durkin was unfairly criticized" train for quite some time, but... the second-highest paid assistant in the nation? That's a little bit rich if you ask me.
Aggie fans were a bit incredulous at this news.
Ain’t no way https://t.co/Y0xZm65Mab
— 409 Ag (@409aggie) February 11, 2025
Excuse me https://t.co/00Na4Xicp2
— nick (@nnickk22) February 11, 2025
Auburn fans think that durkin was rushing 3 because of their lack of talent😭 https://t.co/abpvHHZY3A
— MikeElkoFanAccount (@Kevin_Sumlin_jr) February 10, 2025
Time will tell if this gambit pays off for the Tigers, but I think Aggie fans are a little bit skeptical of this one. Durkin is a fine coach, but I'm not sure you could find any A&M fans who think he's worth what the Tigers decided to pony up for his services.