Keep an eye on these individuals as Auburn progresses in its pursuit of a new defensive coordinator.
Auburn Tigers are actively seeking a replacement for their vacant defensive coordinator position.
Ron Roberts, who served as the defensive coordinator at Auburn for just one season, was recruited by the Florida Gators in early January. He accepted the position of executive head coach for defense, co-defensive coordinator, and linebackers coach with the Gators.
Auburn is now searching for a candidate to join Charles Kelly, who joined the staff at the start of the year, in filling the co-defensive coordinator position.
Keep an eye on these three individuals as Auburn looks for a new defensive coordinator.
Chris Kiffin, Houston Texans
Kiffin collaborated with Hugh Freeze during his time with the Ole Miss Rebels. He initiated his coaching journey as an assistant at Idaho from 2005 to 2006 and later served as a graduate assistant at Ole Miss in 2007. Subsequently, he transitioned to the Nebraska Cornhuskers as an offensive quality control assistant from 2008 to 2009 and then moved to the USC Trojans as a defensive administrative assistant in 2010. Kiffin’s career advanced significantly when he became the defensive line coach for the Arkansas State Red Wolves in 2011. Following that, he secured a position as the defensive line coach for Hugh Freeze and the Rebels from 2012 to 2016.
Following his tenure with Ole Miss, Kiffin has had various coaching roles, including serving as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Florida Atlantic Owls in 2017. He then took on the position of pass rush specialist coach with the San Francisco 49ers from 2018 to 2019, followed by a role as the defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2020 to 2021. Most recently, he has been with the Houston Texans as the linebackers coach, and he stayed with the team throughout their playoff run in the current season.
DJ Durkin
Durkin boasts a significant history as a staff member and coordinator in the SEC. He served as linebackers and special teams coach for the Florida Gators from 2010 to 2012, then advanced to the position of defensive coordinator for the Gators from 2013 to 2014. Following this, he assumed the roles of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Michigan Wolverines in 2015 before eventually being appointed as the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins. Durkin’s tenure with the Terrapins spanned three seasons from 2016 to 2018, concluding with a record of 11 wins and 15 losses.
In 2019, he took on a consulting role with the Atlanta Falcons before assuming the position of co-defensive coordinator for the Ole Miss Rebels from 2020 to 2021. In 2022, Durkin joined the Texas A&M Aggies as their defensive coordinator, a role he held for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Additionally, Durkin has coaching experience with the Bowling Green Falcons as a graduate assistant from 2001 to 2002, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a graduate assistant from 2003 to 2004, a return to Bowling Green where he coached defensive ends, linebackers, and special teams from 2005 to 2006, and with the Stanford Cardinal as a defensive ends and special teams coach from 2007 to 2009.
Zach Arnett
Arnett commenced his professional journey as a graduate assistant at San Diego State from 2011 to 2013. Following this, he progressed to the role of linebackers coach from 2014 to 2017 and subsequently assumed the position of defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2019. His remarkable performance as a coordinator garnered national recognition, particularly after two highly successful seasons at SDSU.
In 2020, Arnett took on the roles of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Following an interim stint, he was later promoted to the position of head coach in 2022. Despite posting a record of 4 wins and 6 losses, Arnett was relieved of his duties in mid-November.
