Jim Knowles’ blockbuster contract at Penn State set a high-water mark for assistant coach salaries, and now Auburn defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is next to see his salary go up substantially. According to a new contract signed Feb. 5 (per the Montgomery Advertiser), Durkin will earn $2.5 million in base salary in 2025, more than double his 2024 salary of $1.2 million. There’s also a $200,000 escalator, bringing the value of the three-year deal to just under $8 million in base pay.
That significant bump in pay would have tied him for most among assistants last year. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker was the highest-paid coordinator at $2.5 million for 2024, according to USA Today’s assistant coach salary database. Knowles’ contract at Penn State averages $3.1 million over three years with more than $4 million possible thanks to impressive bonuses.
Durkin, a longtime assistant with an SEC footprint, joined Auburn’s staff last season after serving in a similar role for Texas A&M during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Results were OK. Among SEC teams, Auburn ranked eighth in points per game and sixth in yards per play allowed, but defense wasn’t typically the problem in the tight, typically lower-scoring games it lost last season as part of a 5-7 effort. And with high-profile defensive coordinator jobs open during this cycle, Durkin has benefited.
There is hope moving into Year 3 under Hugh Freeze with Jackson Arnold coming over from Oklahoma as part of a QB room overhaul. Still, Freeze is facing a critical year. He’s yet to deliver a winning season and the offense has fallen short. Without improvement, it’ll be Durkin’s unit that will again be asked to carry the extra slack as the program eyes SEC and playoff goals.
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