Several sources indicate that Auburn will employ D.J. Durkin as its new defensive coordinator. Multiple Auburn employees also spoke with AL.com about the impending hire.
Below is a timeline of Durkin’s coaching career, including the tragedy he oversaw as head coach at Maryland before coming to the Plains.
2001-2002 Bowling Green Graduate Assistant
Durkin attended Bowling Green and played wide receiver and linebacker. He later became a graduate assistant for then-head coach Urban Meyer.
2003–2004 Notre Dame graduate assistant
2005 Bowling Green’s defensive ends coach
Bowling Green’s 2006 linebacker and special teams coach
2007-2009 Stanford’s defensive ends and special teams coach
Durkin served on Jim Harbaugh’s first Stanford coaching staff.
Florida linebackers and special teams coach from 2010 to 2012.
Meyer brought Durkin to Florida to join his staff. Rivals named Durkin the 2012 national recruiter of the year.
2013-2014 Florida’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach
Durkin was named defensive coordinator by Will Muschamp, the new head coach of Florida.
2014 Florida’s interim head coach
Durkin will coach Florida’s Birmingham Bowl appearance after Muschamp resigned as head coach.
Michigan’s 2015 defensive coordinator and linebacker coach
Florida picked Jim McElwain as its next coach, and Harbaugh added Durkin to his Michigan staff.
2016-2018 Maryland’s head coach
Durkin’s first head coaching role was at Maryland. He led Maryland to the Quick Lane Bowl in his debut season.
On May 29, 2018, Maryland offensive lineman Jordan McNair “showed signs of extreme exhaustion” after a practice that included 110-yard sprints. McNair collapsed during the workout, which began at 4:15 p.m., but was not taken to the hospital until 6:36.
Maryland did not publicize McNair’s hospitalization until June 4, 2018. McNair died on June 13, 2018.
Durkin stated at a news conference the day following McNair’s death that his “heart is broken.”
On July 16, 2018, Maryland announced that Durkin was present during the workout where McNair collapsed. Less than a month later, ESPN revealed a “toxic culture” within the Maryland football program.
Durkin was placed on administrative leave the day following the ESPN story. So were two trainers, Steve Nordwall and Wes Robinson.
In August 2018, then-Maryland president Wallach Loh held a press conference to proclaim the school’s “moral and legal responsibility” for McNair’s murder. During the press conference, Maryland announced that its head strength coach will retire.
On August 17, 2018, three days following Loh’s news conference, Maryland’s Board of Regents took over an external inquiry of the program.
On September 21, 2018, Maryland announced “several” faults in McNair’s treatment. However, on October 25, 2018, the Washington Post got a copy of Maryland’s inquiry into the program’s culture, which noted “problems but stops short of the ‘toxic’ label.”
By the end of October, Loh announced Durkin’s reinstatement after an 80-day paid administrative leave, citing a decision by Maryland’s board following the release of its report. Maryland’s then-Gov. Larry Hogan rejected the ruling.
Durkin was sacked on Halloween 2018, the day after he was reinstated. Loh announced his retirement, which was pushed back to 2020. Damon Evans, who was named Maryland’s full-time athletic director in July 2018, continues in his post.
More than two years later, Maryland and the McNair family settled their lawsuit, with McNair’s parents receiving $3.5 million.
“How was I so trusting of these coaches who sat at our table before signing day promising to treat him as one of their own?” Marty McNair, Jordan’s father, writes in his book “Can My Child Play?” “These are the same coaches who refused to call us and inform us that Jordan had been injured on the first day of conditioning training. The same coach who refused to accompany our son to the hospital in an ambulance after vowing to safeguard him.”
2019 Atlanta Falcons Consultant
The Atlanta Falcons hired Durkin as a “guest coach” at their 2019 training camp, less than a year after he was sacked at Maryland. Durkin stayed with the Falcons for barely ten days.
“Is this an unfortunate situation? Of sure,” Falcons head coach Dan Quinn stated. “But as far as eyes to look at the defence, the special teams, to help us, I definitely knew the advantage of that.”
2020-2021 Ole Miss’ co-defensive coordinator and linebacker coach
Following the tragedy, Lane Kiffin gave Durkin his first full-time coaching opportunity. Ole Miss’ defence ranked No. 118 in 2020 and No. 51 in 2021.
2022-2023 Durkin was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas A&M before moving to College Station with Jimbo Fisher. His defence dropped from No. 25 in 2022 to No. 36 in 2023.
2024–present Auburn co-defensive coordinator
Durkin will be Auburn’s co-defensive coordinator alongside former hire Charles Kelly. Former defensive coordinator Ron Roberts went for Florida, which allowed him to coach jack linebackers, which are akin to pass-rushing outside linebackers. Durkin would assume that post, while Kelly would take over Zac Etheridge’s secondary coaching position following his retirement in January.
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