Meet Maryland’s new head football coach: D.J. Durkin
A savior has arrived for Maryland football
Maryland made headlines with the hire of D.J. Durkin for head coach, but who is he?
D.J. Durkin is coming to Maryland after being the Michigan defensive coordinator. Durkin was in his first season in Ann Arbor, coaching under hot-tempered Jim Harbaugh for the Wolverines.
“We began this search looking for a candidate with qualities that aligned with our vision for the football program, and throughout the process it became clear D.J. was the perfect fit,” said AD Kevin Anderson.
The Terps were an abysmal 3-9 (1-7 Big Ten) this season and fired head coach Randy Edsall halfway through the season. Offensive Coordinator Mike Locksley served as the interim head coach, but showed little improvement as Maryland entered the heart of their conference schedule.
Durkin, 37, will now be the youngest head coach in the Big Ten. He was the defensive coordinator for one season at Michigan and held the same position at Florida in 2013-2014.
Maryland will be Durkin’s first opportunity as a head coach…sort of. He coached Florida to a bowl win as interim head coach last season, beating East Carolina 28-20.
Durkin wasn’t Maryland’s first choice, but he was definitely one of the better options left on the table. The Terps wanted a coach who was passionate and could make an immediate difference. Let’s just say the passion is definitely there.
Durkin is also known to be an excellent recruiter and coach, leading some of the top defenses in the country in the past three seasons. Defense is great and all, but what about the offense? More importantly, WHAT ABOUT THE QUARTERBACK?
Maryland was awful at the QB position this season, but thankfully Dwayne Haskins will be enrolling next season. He will only be a freshman, but he’ll still probably be the best quarterback on the roster.
WELCOME TO COLLEGE PARK, COACH DURKIN!