New Auburn coach Alex Golesh is retaining defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, who led the team as interim head coach down the stretch and was a top candidate for the permanent role.

Golesh, hired Sunday by Auburn, said in a statement that keeping Durkin was “an easy call.” Durkin has been Auburn’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons and took over as interim coach Nov. 2 following the firing of Hugh Freeze. He entered last week’s Iron Bowl game against rival Alabama as an option for the permanent role, with his candidacy strengthened by an upset win over the Tide, sources said. Auburn lost 27-20 to finish its season at 5-7.

Golesh, who like Durkin is from Ohio, said their relationship stretches back more than 20 years.

“We are fortunate to retain one of the top defensive minds in college football here on The Plains,” Golesh said in a statement. “He’s an elite leader, incredible father and husband and will be phenomenal leader on the defensive side of the ball. We have great respect for each other. Time to go to work.”

Durkin previously held coordinator stints at Texas A&M and Ole Miss before coming to Auburn. He served as Maryland‘s coach from 2016 to 2018. Auburn’s defense ranks 31st nationally in yards allowed and 32nd in points allowed.

Asked Monday at his introductory news conference about Durkin, Golesh said he “had a plan” and hoped to have something finalized by Wednesday.

“Coach Golesh and I have known each other long time and I’ve got a lot of respect for him, his teams and the way they work,” Durkin said in a statement. “I’m excited about what he’s going to bring to Auburn and grateful for the chance to work alongside him. I love this group of players, and it mattered to me to keep pushing forward with what they have already started.”

Golesh is bringing several staff members with him to Auburn from South Florida, including offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, sources said.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake has begun to inform people that he intends to stay at the school, rebuffing overtures from Penn State, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Tuesday.

BYU is in the process of putting together a lucrative contract to keep him and Sitake informed Penn State of his intention to remain in Provo, sources said.

The development comes as No. 11 BYU prepares for Saturday’s Big 12 title game against No. 5 Texas Tech, with the winner securing an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff.

Sitake has been BYU’s head coach since 2016 and has won more than 65% of his games. He led BYU to an 11-2 record in 2024, and the Cougars are 11-1 this season as they continue a rapid ascent in their third year in the Big 12. BYU officials had been aggressive in trying to retain Sitake, sources said, and considered keeping him the athletic department’s top priority.

Sitake has won at least 10 games in four of the past six seasons at BYU. After a 2-7 mark in Big 12 play during the program’s transition year in 2023, the Cougars have gone 15-3 since and identified a long-term answer at quarterback in freshman Bear Bachmeier.

The Penn State coaching search had focused on Sitake in recent weeks, with the sides engaging in discussions about the job. While there had been mutual interest — including conversations about staffing and other details of a potential tenure in State College — no agreement was ever reached, and Sitake ultimately elected to stay in Provo.

Penn State officials were active early in their coaching search, which included numerous in-person meetings around the country. That activity has quieted in recent weeks, sources told Thamel, even as candidates got new jobs and others received new contracts.

Sitake, who played high school football in Missouri and starred at BYU before signing with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001, has spent his entire coaching career in the Mountain Time Zone or farther west, with stops at BYU, Oregon State, Utah, Southern Utah and Eastern Arizona. He is BYU’s fourth head coach since LaVell Edwards took over the program in 1972.

LSU assistant Charlie Weis Jr., who joined new coach Lane Kiffin with the Tigers earlier this week, will be allowed to return to Ole Miss and serve as the team’s offensive coordinator through the College Football Playoff.

Weis, who has been the Rebels’ offensive coordinator under Kiffin since 2022, was among several assistants to immediately join Kiffin at LSU. But he will return to Ole Miss and work alongside new Rebels coach Pete Golding and the staff there for the CFP.

Ole Miss finished the regular season at 11-1 and was No. 7 in last week’s CFP standings. The new CFP rankings will be revealed Tuesday night on ESPN.

“With the playoff committee releasing updated rankings tonight, I wanted it to be known that after conversations with LSU, we are allowing Charlie to return to Ole Miss to coach the team during the playoffs,” Kiffin said in a statement. “I’ve already made the committee aware of this and I’m hopeful this decision will allow Ole Miss to receive the highest ranking possible because these great players are very deserving of that. I’m excited that Charlie will be back to help coach the greatest team in the history of Ole Miss.”

Ole Miss confirmed Weis’ return, listing him alongside Golding, quarterbacks coach Joe Judge and six other assistants for the CFP staff.

Kiffin had wanted to remain Ole Miss’ head coach even after taking the LSU job but was informed Sunday he could not stay on. Ole Miss moved quickly to promote Golding, the team’s defensive coordinator, as permanent head coach.

Weis has reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with LSU worth about $6 million. Five other Ole Miss assistants joined Kiffin at LSU, including co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Joe Cox, but Weis will be the only one returning to Ole Miss for the CFP. Weis first worked under Kiffin at Florida Atlantic, where he served as offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019.