For the first time since being fired by Maryland, DJ Durkin has landed a full-time job in college football. Ole Miss announced Thursday they’ve hired Durkin as an assistant to recently hired head coach Lane Kiffin.
Durkin’s role was not defined in the Ole Miss press release.
“We received consistently strong feedback about Coach Durkin’s strong character and work ethic and his positive impact on the communities and institutions where he was previously employed,” Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said in a statement. “Once we had the chance to spend time with Coach Durkin, we were even more convinced that he is exactly the type of accomplished coach with strong football credentials who is also a proud and committed family man that will make him a great addition to our new staff.”
Durkin was placed on administrative leave by the University of Maryland following investigations surrounding the death of Maryland offensive lineman Jordan McNair during a summer workout in 2018 and a “toxic” culture within the football program.
During the investigation McNair’s father, Martin McNair stated Durkin “shouldn’t be able to work with anybody else’s kid,” while appearing on “Good Morning America”.
While Maryland was found culpable in McNair’s death, Durkin was not found to be at fault. The independent commission also disagreed with ESPN’s report of a “toxic” culture and did not find that the culture caused McNair’s death.
Durkin was reinstated following the investigation. The decision was met with heavy backlash which led to him being fired a day later without cause.
Durkin spent the 2019 season consulting for the Atlanta Falcons and several college football. According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, who initially broke the news of Ole Miss hiring, Durkin has also had been coaching his kids’ sports team while living in Maryland.
