DJ Durkin was fired at Maryland this year following an investigation into the death of one of his players, but that has not stopped him from landing a job with the best team in the country.
Matt Zenitz of AL.com reported on Thursday that Durkin has been working behind the scenes at Alabama over the past week in a consulting role. It’s unclear if the position could lead to a long-term role on Nick Saban’s staff or is more of a temporary arrangement.
Durkin was placed on administrative leave back in August after ESPN published a report claiming he had created a toxic culture at Maryland. The school admitted a 19-year-old player who died of heat stroke during the offseason did not receive proper care, but an internal investigation determined that the claims about Maryland fostering a toxic culture were not accurate. Maryland initially decided to stick with Durkin as its head coach before changing its stance due to public outcry.
Alabama is getting ready to take on Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football playoff on Dec. 29, and Saban must feel that Durkin can help the team’s defense figure out ways to slow the high-powered Sooners offense. Durkin spent time as the defensive coordinator at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh and Florida under Will Muschamp — a former Saban assistant — before he became the head coach of the Terrapins.
