D. J. Durkin

Last updated

D. J. Durkin
D.J. Durkin.jpg
Durkin in August 2017
Current position
Title Defensive coordinator/Linebackers coach
Team Auburn
Conference SEC
Biographical details
Born (1978-01-15) January 15, 1978 (age 46)
Boardman, Ohio, U.S.
Playing career
1997–2000 Bowling Green
Position(s) Defensive end, outside linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2001–2002 Bowling Green (GA)
2003–2004 Notre Dame (GA)
2005Bowling Green (DE)
2006Bowling Green (LB/ST)
2007–2009 Stanford (DE/ST)
2010–2012 Florida (LB/ST)
2013–2014Florida (DC/LB)
2014Florida (interim HC)
2015 Michigan (DC/LB)
2016–2018 Maryland
2019 Atlanta Falcons (consultant)
2020–2021 Ole Miss (co-DC/LB)
2022–2023 Texas A&M (DC/LB)
2024–present Auburn (DC/LB)
Head coaching record
Overall11–15
Bowls1–1

Daniel John Durkin [1] (born January 15, 1978) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Auburn Tigers. He was formerly the head coach for the University of Maryland. Durkin began serving as the head coach of the University of Maryland football team in 2015. [2] Following the practice-related death of player Jordan McNair, Durkin was placed on leave in August 2018. [3] Matt Canada was named acting head coach until further notice. [3]

Contents

The University System of Maryland Board of Regents reinstated Durkin on October 30, 2018, [4] instigating protests and uproar. [5] University of Maryland president Wallace Loh fired Durkin the next day. [6]

Playing career

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Durkin attended Boardman High School where he was an all-conference and all-Northeast Ohio selection. [7] [8]

Durkin played wide receiver and outside linebacker at Bowling Green from 1997 to 2000, and served as a team captain his final two seasons. He started a total of 33 games in his career and recorded 131 tackles, including 28 for loss. Durkin led the team in sacks in 1998 and finished second in that category in 2000. He earned a bachelor's degree in business marketing in 2001, and a master's degree in educational administration and supervision in 2004. [9]

Coaching career

Durkin began a career in coaching immediately following his playing career. He worked as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green under new head coach Urban Meyer in 2001 and 2002, and at Notre Dame under head coach Tyrone Willingham in 2003 and 2004. He returned to Bowling Green in 2005, where he coached defensive ends, linebackers, and special teams on the staff of Gregg Brandon. In 2007, he moved to Stanford on the first staff of Jim Harbaugh, where he served for three seasons as the Cardinal defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator. In 2010, Durkin was reunited with Meyer when he joined the Florida Gators as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. He remained on Florida's staff when Will Muschamp took over as head coach in 2010, and in 2013 was promoted to defensive coordinator, replacing Dan Quinn. [1] [9] [10]

Durkin has a reputation as a strong national recruiter and was named the 2012 Rivals.com Recruiter of the Year. [11]

On November 22, 2014, Durkin was named interim head coach for Florida's bowl game after the previous head coach, Will Muschamp, announced he would step down following the regular season. [12] Durkin led Florida to a 28–20 victory in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl against East Carolina. [13]

On January 5, 2015, sources confirmed that Durkin was hired as the defensive coordinator of Michigan. The hire reunited Durkin with new Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. [14] Michigan confirmed the hire on January 8, and announced that Durkin would also coach linebackers. [15]

On December 2, 2015 ESPN's Joe Schad announced that Durkin was expected to be named head coach of the Maryland Terrapins football team, [16] which was confirmed later that day. [2] Durkin would lead the team to a bowl game appearance in his first year. Following a scandal involving the death of a player and reports of a toxic team culture, Durkin was fired by Maryland midway through the 2018 season. [17]

On January 2, 2020, Ole Miss announced it had hired Durkin as an assistant to head coach Lane Kiffin, along with Chris Partridge and Joe Jon Finley. [18]

On January 5, 2022, it was announced Durkin would become the new defensive coordinator at Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher. [19]

On January 31st, 2024, Auburn had announced that it had hired DJ Durkin as their next defensive coordinator.

Player death at Maryland and resulting scandal

On August 11, 2018, Durkin was placed on administrative leave after Maryland was placed under investigation amid toxic culture allegations against the team after the death of player Jordan McNair. [3] McNair was hospitalized on May 29, 2018 after showing signs of heatstroke and exhaustion while participating in a team workout, and later died at the age of 19. [20]

He returned 80 days later, after the Board of Regents recommendation to stay. [4] [21] [22] Damon Evans, the athletic director, announced the Board of Regents' decision to the team with Durkin present; Durkin later held a meeting with the team without other coaches, and several players walked out of that meeting. [4] Due to intense backlash, Durkin was fired one day later. [17]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Florida Gators (Southeastern Conference)(2014)
2014 Florida 1–0 [n 1] W Birmingham
Florida:1–0
Maryland Terrapins (Big Ten Conference)(2016–2017)
2016 Maryland 6–73–65th (East)L Quick Lane
2017 Maryland 4–82–76th (East)
Maryland:10–155-13
Total:11–15

Notes

  1. ↑ Durkin coached the 2015 Birmingham Bowl after head coach Will Muschamp was fired following a 6–5 (4–4 SEC) regular season.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Pasqualoni</span> American football player and coach (born 1949)

Paul Lucian Pasqualoni is an American football coach for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He most recently was the defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Shannon</span> American football player and coach (born 1966)

Randy Leonard Shannon is an American football coach and former player who is currently the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator for the Florida State Seminoles football program. Shannon was the head coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010 and has served as an assistant coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s Miami Dolphins and several college teams, including stints as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes, the Florida Gators, and the UCF Knights. He won the Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top collegiate assistant coach while at Miami in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Strong</span> American football coach (born 1960)

Charles Rene Strong is an American football coach who was most recently the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Miami. He recently served as the assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) in 2021 and also previously served as a defensive analyst at the University of Alabama in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Terrapins football</span> American football team of the University of Maryland, College Park

The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland, College Park in the sport of American football. The Terrapins compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Big Ten Conference. The Terrapins joined the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2014, following 62 years in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a founding member. Mike Locksley is the head coach of the Terrapins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Muschamp</span> American football player and coach (born 1971)

William Lawrence Muschamp is an American football coach and former player who is a defensive analyst at the University of Georgia. He previously served as the Bulldogs' co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2022 to 2024. Before his time at Georgia, he served as head football coach at the University of Florida from 2011 to 2014 and at the University of South Carolina from 2016 to 2020.

James Edward Willis III is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and a former coach in the NCAA and in the NFL. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn. He played high school football at J.O. Johnson High School in Huntsville, Alabama. He was the defensive assistant/linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL until his termination on January 5, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Maryland Terrapins football team</span> American college football season

The 2009 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland during its 57th season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Terrapins played in the Atlantic Division of the conference, and competed against all five divisional opponents, two Coastal Division opponents on a rotational basis, and one permanent cross-divisional rival: Virginia. The rotating Coastal Division opponents were Virginia Tech and Duke. In 2009, Maryland played its second game of the home-to-home series against California, this year in Berkeley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Locksley</span> American football player and coach (born 1969)

Michael Anthony Locksley is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Maryland, a position he has held since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travaris Robinson</span> American football player and coach (born 1981)

Travaris Jerod Robinson is an American football coach and former safety who is the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. Prior to that, he was the cornerbacks coach at the University of Alabama and the defensive backs coach at the University of Miami. He played college football at Auburn. Thereafter, he played professionally for the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

John Donovan is an American football coach who currently is the senior offensive analyst for the Florida Gators. He most recently the senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He has been an assistant in the NFL and in four of the Power Five college football conferences. He was a defensive back at Johns Hopkins from 1993 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team</span> American college football season

The 2011 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Mullen, who was in his third season with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi and compete in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They finished the 2011 season with a 7–6 overall play, 2–6 in SEC play, placing fifth in West Division, and were invited for Music City Bowl, where they defeated Wake Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Beamer</span> American football coach and former player (born 1977)

Shane Beamer is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach at the University of South Carolina. He is the son of former Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Florida Gators football team</span> American college football season

The 2013 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gators competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and the 2013 season was the Gators' third under head coach Will Muschamp. The Gators finished the season with a 4–8 overall win–loss record, and finished 3–5 in the SEC and in fifth place in the SEC Eastern Division. The Gators suffered their first losing season since 1979 and did not play in a bowl game for the first time since 1990, when the program was on NCAA probation.

The 2015 Birmingham Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 3, 2015 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States. The ninth annual Birmingham Bowl saw the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference defeat the East Carolina Pirates of the American Athletic Conference by a score of 28–20. The game started at 11:00 a.m. CST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2014–15 bowl games that concluded the 2014 FBS football season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Canada</span> American football coach (born 1972)

Matt Canada is an American football coach who most recently served as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Maryland, LSU, Pittsburgh, NC State, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Butler, and Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January)</span> College football game

The 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on January 2, 2016, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The 71st edition of the Gator Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference against the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference. It began at noon EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. The game's naming rights sponsor was tax preparation software company TaxSlayer.com, and for sponsorship reasons was officially known as the TaxSlayer Bowl.

The history of Florida Gators football began in 1906, when the newly established "University of the State of Florida" fielded a football team during its first full academic year of existence. The school's name was shortened to the University of Florida in 1908, and the football team gained the nickname "Gators" in 1911. The program started small, usually playing six to eight games per season against small colleges and local athletic club teams in north Florida and south Georgia. The Orange and Blue developed early rivalries with the Stetson Hatters from nearby Deland and Mercer Bears from Macon. During the 1910s, Florida began playing a wider range of opponents from more established football programs across the southeastern United States and faced off against several future rivals - such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, and Auburn - for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Maryland Terrapins football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Terrapins played their home games at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland and competed in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Maryland Terrapins football</span>

The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland, College Park in the sport of American football. The Terrapins compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Big Ten Conference. The Terrapins joined the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2014, following 62 years in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a founding member. The Terrapins are currently coached by Mike Locksley. Since 1950, the Terrapins have played their home games at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland with occasional home games from time to time in Baltimore, making them one of two FBS football teams in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area and the closest Football Bowl Subdivision team to Washington, D.C. The team's official colors of red, white, black, and gold have been in use in some combination since the 1920s and are taken from Maryland's state flag, and the Terrapins nickname — often abbreviated as "Terps" — was adopted in 1933 after a turtle species native to the state.

Chris Partridge is an American football coach and former player who most recently served as the linebackers coach for the Michigan Wolverines. He also was the Paramus Catholic High School head coach and worked as an assistant coach for Michigan Wolverines football from 2016 to 2020 and the defensive coordinator for Ole Miss from 2020 to 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "DJ Durkin Bio". Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "DJ Durkin Named Head Football Coach - Maryland Terrapins Athletics". University of Maryland Terps Official Athletic Site (Press release). Umterps.com. December 2, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Maese, Rick; Stubbs, Roman (August 11, 2018). "Maryland places DJ Durkin on administrative leave amid reports of football program's toxic culture". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Dinich, Heather; Rittenberg, Adam. "DJ Durkin returns to Terrapins with board of regents' backing". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  5. ↑ Rittenberg, Adam (October 31, 2018). "Maryland students to protest DJ Durkin's reinstatement". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  6. ↑ Collins, David; Hepkins, Andre; Sanudsky, Gerry (November 1, 2018). "UMd. fires head football coach DJ Durkin". WBAL TV 11. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  7. ↑ Autullo, Ryan. "UT's coach Campbell, Durkin set to face off in Florida". Toledo Blade. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Player Bio: D.J. Durkin - GoStanford.com - Stanford University". GoStanford.com. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Gator Football Coaches & Support Staff". GatorZone.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  10. ↑ "D.J. Durkin - Michigan Football". Footballrecruiting.rivals.com. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ Chris Nee Recruiting Analyst. "Rivals.com Football Recruiting - Durkin named Rivals.com Recruiter of Year". Footballrecruiting.rivals.com. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Defensive coordinator to helm Gators". ESPN.com. November 22, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Gators ride big plays for Birmingham Bowl win". Floridatoday.com. Associated Press. January 3, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  14. ↑ "University of Michigan Wolverines Football & Basketball". MLive.com. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Durkin Hired as Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers Coach". Mgoblue.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Report: D.J. Durkin To Be Next Maryland Head Coach". CBS Detroit. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Maryland fires coach Durkin after reinstatement". October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Kiffin adds ex-Terps coach Durkin to Ole Miss staff". ESPN.com. January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  19. ↑ "DJ Durkin - Football Coach - Texas A&M Athletics - 12thMan.com". January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Timeline: Everything that led to DJ Durkin's firing at Maryland". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  21. ↑ Richman, Talia; Broadwater, Luke; Markus, Don (October 30, 2018). "Evans, Durkin to remain at University of Maryland; Loh to retire in June". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  22. ↑ Stubbs, Roman; Giambalvo, Emily; Larimer, Sarah (October 30, 2018). "DJ Durkin returns to the Maryland football team, and three players walk out of his first meeting". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.