Former Maryland head coach DJ Durkin, who was first reinstated and then fired back in October, has landed a gig as a guest coach with the Atlanta Falcons during their training camp.
While it's not in an official role, and the team announced him as a guest coach (see tweet below) Falcons head coach Dan Quinn still felt it was important to share the following statement defending his decision to bring Durkin in, via 247:
"I would hope people would understand and know me well enough that nothing's more important than team," Quinn said. "And I think the people that have covered the team know that. So the fact that I know this coach (Durkin) firsthand and I know what his character is, and the due dillegence that goes with that, I would certainly hope that anybody that covers the team and the fan base knows that I always have the team's best interest in mind and I would never put anybody into a space that would be otherwise. That said, it's not that unusual for me to have people come and be a part of our program and add value to it for a smaller period of time. I've done it before and I'll do it again in the future."
Before landing the Maryland job back in 2016, Durkin served as the defensive coordinator at Florida (before serving as interim head coach for their bowl game) in 2013-14, and Michigan in 2015 and has past stops on the defensive side of the ball and coordinating special teams at Stanford and Bowling Green.
As most coaches (especially former head coaches) do when looking for the right fit for their next stop, Durkin will likely continue to visit places here and there, much like he did when visiting Alabama for a few days back in December.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.