“All that for 6 wins ?”: CFB fans react as Auburn DC DJ Durkin signs a contract extension worth $2.5M

College football fans reacted to Auburn's decision to extend defensive coordinator DJ Durkin's contract. Durkin was hired last season as the Tigers' defensive coordinator.

After his lone season at Auburn, it was reported that he signed a contract extension worth $2.5 million, taking him through the 2027 season. He will only be the second-highest-paid assistant behind Jim Knowles who took the DC job at Penn State.

Following Durkin getting an extension, some college footballs were stunned by the news.

"I’m unfamiliar with auburn. Is he worth the money?" one fan commented.

"All that for 6 wins," a fan wrote.

"All that just to go 5-7, Auburn got money to burn," a fan added.

In Durkin's first season, the team went 5-7 and many aren't expecting much more in 2025.

"Double the salary for 7 losses, impressive," a fan added.

"Whoa. I don’t know if anyone is paying him that much money on the open market," a fan wrote.

However, some fans think Durkin is the backup plan to replace Hugh Freeze as head coach if Auburn struggles which is why they gave him the extension.

"LOL the defense doesn’t matter when the offense is terrible," a fan added.

"Does that mean the defense is going to play next year?," a fan wrote.

Durkin is a former head coach at Maryland while also being a defensive coordinator at Texas A&M and co-DC at Ole Miss.

DJ Durkin says coaching in the SEC is difficult

DJ Durkin knew being a defensive coordinator in the SEC would have its challenges. Before the season, Durkin spoke about the challenges the conference posed to the defense.

“I think this conference is the best football in the country, and so it attracts the best players,” Durkin said, via ON3. “I feel in recruiting, for the most part, you’re recruiting the top level players and I think it’s the same for coaches. You’re going to get the top level coaches that want to, you know, everyone that’s a competitor, whatever field you’re involved in. You want to compete at the highest level. We have that."

"The way the game’s going, the communication of, I think, presents some issues on the defense as well. Those are all things that we continue to work through. But it’s a great challenge. It’s something we embrace every week," Durkin added.

Auburn will open its 2025 season against Baylor on Aug. 30.