Auburn’s defensive coordinator last season and Auburn’s defensive coordinator this season couldn’t be more different.

Ron Roberts, who left Auburn during the offseason for a similar role at Florida, was a quiet, kinda awkward guy.

“He tries to make jokes that really ain’t funny,” former Auburn defensive back Jaylin Simpson said of Roberts last year.

Then there’s DJ Durkin, who was hired to lead Auburn’s defense in January — and there’s nothing quiet about him.

“He’s the most energetic coach that I’ve met,” Auburn defensive back Champ Anthony told reporters on Monday. “If you come into a meeting and you lack energy, Durk’s, not gonna like that. But also, he knows how to energize his team. If he sees his team is not feeling it, he knows how to get everybody riled up.”

Durkin’s energetic nature is one of the biggest reasons Freeze brought in the tenured defensive coach.

“I loved his passion and his drive,” Freeze said shortly after Durkin’s hiring. “I think our practices will look quite different with him because I’ve watched some of his practice tape. He’s pretty into it and energetic. And I love that about him.”

And from the sounds of it, Durkin’s energy and play style has been well-received by the Tigers’ defense.

When asked about the mindset of the Auburn defense, linebacker Austin Keys didn’t mull over the question long.

“Violence. Aggressiveness. Don’t stop,” said Keys, who previously played for Durkin at Ole Miss. “That’s all you need to know: violence.”

The words “violent” and “aggressive” have frequently been used to describe the Auburn defense since Durkin’s arrival.

In April, another Auburn linebacker in Eugene Asante associated the same pair of words with the Tigers’ new-look defense.

“It just means being violent in everything we do whether it’s block destruction; whether it’s finishing on the ball carrier. It also applies to DBs in terms of violent finish on the football. You see receivers go up and make those contested catches and he talks about violent finish on the guy that’s receiving the ball,” Asante said.

“Aggressive is a great word that we attest to Coach Durkin and it’s certainly something he’s trying to implement in every facet of the game. It’s not just a linebacker on a ball carrier, it’s aggressive in all different styles and ways.”

And according to junior defensive lineman Zykeivous Walker, Auburn fans shouldn’t only expect a more violent and aggressive play style from Durkin and the Tigers this fall, but more aggressive play calling, too.

“Get after that quarterback,” Walker said Monday when asked about Durkin’s philosophy. “With Coach Durkin, he loves to send pressure out of blitzes and stuff. I think it’s going to be fun flying around with some of the plays that he has.”

In 2023, Durkin served as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, which led the SEC in sacks with 42 on the season.

For the sake of comparison, Auburn’s defense ranked eighth in the league with 31 sacks.

But that was last year under a different coach with a different coaching style and a different philosophy.

“We’re going to give a lot of people trouble,” Walker continued. “I just want people to be ready, because we’re coming.”