Coach Hugh Freeze, whose 15-19 record in his two-plus seasons at Auburn was capped by a listless home loss to Kentucky on Saturday, has been fired, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Sunday.
Freeze will be owed approximately $15 million in buyout money.
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is expected to serve in an interim role, a source told ESPN.
Much of the SEC offseason spotlight focused on Freeze, 56, only heightening the need for a strong start for the Tigers. In his time at Auburn, he had a 6-16 mark in the SEC, and his tenure was marked by excruciating home losses to New Mexico State, Cal, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Oklahoma.