Michigan Wolverine Football: D.J. Durkin (DC/LB Coach) -- Profile

Posted at 9:00am — 1/9/2015

Michigan Wolverine Football: D.J. Durkin (DC/LB Coach) — Profile

Welcome Aboard Coach Durkin

One side effect of a head coaching change is the temporary excitement that surrounds who will fill out a staff. Michigan is now undergoing this synergistic event. Names are floating around, fluid and uncertain; only the final official announcement clears things up. D.J. Durkin has been announced by university officials as the new Michigan Defensive Coordinator and linebacker coach.

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Durkin has spent the previous four years at Florida working with linebackers and special teams. Before that assignment, Coach Durkin while on the Stanford staff with Coach Jim Harbaugh mentored defensive ends.

D.J. Durkin is a native of Youngstown, Ohio and played collegiately at Bowling Green State University. He played defensive end and outside linebacker. His journey into coaching also started at BGSU as a Graduate Assistant under Urban Meyer. His assignment was coaching defensive ends and linebackers.

Coach Durkin next moved to Notre Dame for a couple of seasons as a Graduate Assistant. There he worked with star end Justin Tuck.

Coach Durkin moved back to Bowling Green for the next several seasons as a defensive end, linebacker, and special teams coach.

Coach Durkin moved on to Stanford where he was Harbaugh’s defensive end coach. His reputation for producing physical defensive ends that could be strong pass rushers gained recognition.

Coach Durkin moved to Florida in 2010 as linebacker and special teams coach before being defensive coordinator. He now has a fine reputation for excellent special teams.

While his time as a defensive coordinator has been short, Coach Durkin has enjoyed notable and consistent success at every stop in every capacity. He is young, high energy, and again has a reputation as a good recruiter.

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Michigan Wolverines

On the surface, there are many pluses on the side of hiring Coach Durkin:

-He has experience with high–level coaches.

-He has Ohio roots.

-He has high documentation with special teams, and should contribute to a weak area of the Michigan program, even if a dedicated special teams coach is hired.

-He has documented success with created solid defensive ends.

-HE PREACHES AND DEVELOPS PHYSICAL PLAY.

Florida and Notre Dame are class stops in the football world, and to have good success at such stops early in a career is a feather in the cap.

Durkin will have the ear and advice of a classy veteran coach, Coach Greg Mattison. Mattison has been stated to show support and admiration for Coach Durkin. This is a good thing, and Mattison’s minimal ego will not hinder the partnership.

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