Would a Win Over Alabama be Enough for Auburn to Promote Durkin to Head Coach?

Athletic Director John Cohen previously said D.J. Durkin would be included in Auburn's pool of coaching candidates.

Auburn Tigers interim head coach DJ Durkin was named as a candidate by athletic director John Cohen. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the Iron Bowl looming on the horizon between the Auburn Tigers (5-6) and the 10th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (9-2), Auburn has a chance to not only make a bowl game but keep a rival out of the College Football Playoffs.

With an Auburn victory, both of these scenarios are almost guaranteed. But one question remains: What would an Auburn victory mean for Auburn in its third head coaching search in the last five years?

Since taking over as the interim head coach, Auburn defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin has revitalized the Tigers. Prior to Durkin taking over, the Hugh Freeze-led Auburn offense was unable to get things going, seemingly after the opening drive, and struggled to maintain momentum.

However, with Durkin at the helm, the Auburn offense has found a spark that it has always had, but failed to unlock under Freeze. A lot of the offensive credit could go to offensive coordinator Derrick Nix but was not the primary play-caller until after Freeze's firing.

In the last two games with Nix calling the offensive shots, the Auburn offense has scored 100 points. In the six conference games leading up to the last two, the offense scored 83 points. 

Durkin, who now has to split time between the offense and the defense, has helped revitalize an Auburn offense which, on paper, should have always been scoring a high amount of points. However, with Durkin splitting his time, the Auburn defense has not been as dominant as it was earlier in the season.

However, the Tigers seemingly took a step forward defensively last week against Mercer, and the efforts showed the potential in the program should Durkin stay in some capacity.

The Tigers have not defeated Alabama since the 2019 season. Winning this Saturday’s matchup could not snap the 5-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide, but could also boost his bid to become the next head coach at Auburn. 

As it stands, the name that has been thrown around the most for the Auburn job has been Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall, but with Florida seemingly moving on from Lane Kiffin, Sumrall appears to be the Gators' next option.

Sumrall has also named as a potential candidate at both LSU and Ole Miss depending on Kiffin's decision.

Cohen previously stated that he plans to announce the next head coach for Auburn within 24 hours after the conclusion of Saturday's Iron Bowl. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. CT with television coverage on ABC.