Football 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 and Mark Schlabach on Sunday.
Freeze, 56, will be owed $15.8 million in buyout money.
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is expected to serve as interim head coach, sources told ESPN.
Much of the SEC offseason spotlight focused on Freeze, 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.