FootballSaturday, November 5, 2016
8
Behind Enemy Lines: DJ Durkin
This
weekend,
Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh will battle a
familiar face.
DJ
Durkin,
who
was
the
defensive coordinator at Michigan
last season, is in his first head
coaching job at Maryland, and
Harbaugh has been impressed
with the work he’s done so far.
After struggling to a 3-9 season
in 2015, the Terrapins are off to
a much more successful 2016.
More than halfway through the
season, Durkin is 5-3 with two
Big Ten wins.
“He’s done a fabulous job,”
Harbaugh
said
Monday.
“Just
always
respected
DJ
as
a
tremendous
competitor
at
the
highest level — smile thinking
about his competitiveness, and also
always happy for a friend’s success.”
The Daily spoke with Durkin
at Big Ten Football Media Days in
July about Harbaugh, his new gig
and moving to Maryland.
Question: What are you pitching
to recruits at Maryland now that
maybe
wasn’t
pitched
before?
You’re off to a pretty nice start,
better than the previous three or
four Maryland classes started out.
DJ Durkin: I don’t know what
was pitched before, but for us,
there’s a lot of excitement around
our program right now. There’s a
facility being built right now that
will be as nice as anywhere in
the country. There’s a brand-new
coaching staff. Obviously, just
being fairly new to the Big Ten
right now, just new life, a new way
of doing things in and around our
team. Our players are very excited
about stuff, so they’re conveying
that to guys when they come visit.
Q: (This is your) first official
head coaching job — what’s been
the best part about it, and what’s
been the biggest challenge of it?
DD: One and the same. The best
part is the challenge of it. I like
being busy and going and things
happening. I think it’s good when
you wake up in the morning
and you have a list of things you
feel you need to do and have a
purpose. Those lists of things
have gotten a little longer now
that I’m a head coach — there’s a
lot more to it — but I’ve enjoyed
it. I have great people around me
in terms of our coaching staff and
administration. Our players have
bought in really well.
Q: Last year, you had a highly
successful season as defensive
coordinator at Michigan. Can
you reflect (on) the type of
environment that’s there, the
relationships you’ve made and
what it will be like facing them
this season?
DD: I just, whatever it was, an
hour ago, saw Jourdan Lewis out
there. Jourdan is a great kid, a
great player. I’m very proud of all
of his success and what he’s been
able to accomplish. Whenever
you go into games, go into battle
with guys, you build relationships
with your players and the coaches
you’re with, so obviously there’s
feelings there. At the same time,
we’re now on the opposite sideline
and they’re going to be doing
everything they can to beat us and
we’ll be doing everything we can
to beat them. At the end of the day,
our relationships will last a lot
further than any one game, and
that’s the cool thing about it. You
get to look around and there are
so many guys that I’ve been able
to just be some small part of their
career and their life, and when
you hear back or
talk to them or see
them or whatever,
it always brings a
smile to your face.
Q:
Can
you
reflect
on
your
relationship with
Under
Armour
and
how
that’s
helping you with
recruiting
and
building
your
program at Maryland?
DD: I’m not quite sure you
can possibly measure how much
that relationship helps us. I think
it’s a (more) unique relationship
than anywhere in the country,
not just with the brand and the
company, but with the people that
are behind that company. The
great part for me is the values and
the things that are important to
(Under Armour CEO) Kevin Plank
and his company are really right
in line with what’s
important to our
program. ... What
they’ve
done
in
their growth has
been remarkable.
When
you
look
at
what
they’ve
done in such a
short amount of
time, that’s pretty
special.
We’re
trying to — in a
different industry, a different
setting — we’re trying to do the
same thing. We’re here and we’re
trying to build and go there and
keep going up like they’re doing.”
TMD: So how do you like
living in Maryland compared to
Ann Arbor?
DD: I love it. My family loves it.
I mean, we’ve been so blessed and
fortunate. The places we’ve been
able to live at and be associated
with have all been great. Ann
Arbor is a really neat place, a great
college town. But where we live
now, it’s pretty exciting. I think
it’s one of the coolest parts of the
country. There’s so much to do and
see. My kids love it and my wife
loves it. It’s been a really smooth,
easy transition, which you can’t
always say.
TMD: Were your kids afraid of
that move?
DD: No, they were all in.
They flew with me to the press
conference, and once they got a
pet turtle and met Testudo, they
were Terp fans. Young kids, not
much you have to sell them on.
Former Harbaugh assistant is off to 5-3 start in first year of rebuilding project at Maryland this season
FILE PHOTO/Daily
DJ Durkin wrapped up a successful one-year stint as Michigan’s defensive coordinator before taking the head coaching job at Maryland. He returns to Ann Arbor on Saturday.
KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
“I like being
busy and going
and things
happening.”