Potential replacement?

[Falconwriter]

Regarding Withers and Houston. Initially I had the same concern. I was thinking about Richmond football. We hired Clawson, but the year he left, Richmond won the national championship under the successor, London. UVA hired him. And we all know how each coach did.
I always would rather hire the guy who built rather than the guy who road the coattails. Which leads me to Houston.
He hasn't simply ridden the coattails. He was previously a HC before taking over at JMU. And he won conference coach of the year there at the previous stop, building them up. So he's both built and elevated programs.
For the current HC route, I'm stuck between Houston and Cignetti. And I can't say say where I put Holt into that equation because he sure has impressed me, turning around that Purdue defense.
BTW, any guesses at who was a co-DC at Purdue the year before Holt turned it around? The co-DC in 2016 responsible the Big Ten's worst defense? Marcus Freeman. Holt cleaned up that mess of a defense in a year with the same players.

Not saying you're wrong (obviously) but I'm still leery of Holt. I also like the idea of someone with head coaching experience, even if at a lower level, and I also like seeing a track record of success.

[jpfalcon09]

Reports this morning indicate DJ Durkin is going to be let go from Maryland. The investigation into the football program's culture didn't find anything considered "toxic" but it appears the university is ready to move on. Certainly not advocating him for the BG job but if he is let go my guess is you'll hear his name get tossed around a bunch.

[MarkL]

Durkin was the supposed front runner in 2013 until Dino Babers appeared. Just saying ...

[mbenecke]

Interesting development, for sure.

[BillyLP]

Reports this morning indicate DJ Durkin is going to be let go from Maryland. The investigation into the football program's culture didn't find anything considered "toxic" but it appears the university is ready to move on. Certainly not advocating him for the BG job but if he is let go my guess is you'll hear his name get tossed around a bunch.

I don't want anything to do with Durkin at this time. When I read the report that parents of the players at Maryland were concerned that he could be re-instated, I knew that wasn't something I'd want here. Parents loom large in player decisions and honestly, if I were a parent and reading the news, there's no way I'd send my kid to play under Durkin. Could you imagine how Caleb Bright's parents would feel?

[Globetrotter]

If you want a good coach to take a bad job then there has to be some issues with him. You just have to decide if they are worth it.

[MarkL]

A program who has recently won championships with a long leash for rebuilding is not a bad job.

[MarkL]

Not sure I am comfortable with Durkin. I would need to be convinced.

[hammb]

I wouldn't want DJ Durkin anywhere near our football program and that has zero to do with what happened at Maryland. I'd just as soon he's not a coach anywhere so nobody hears that he has a connection to our university at all.

[zete]

I wouldn't want DJ Durkin anywhere near our football program and that has zero to do with what happened at Maryland. I'd just as soon he's not a coach anywhere so nobody hears that he has a connection to our university at all.

At this point, I don't think they have let him near their football facility at MD yet So, they must feel the same.

[factman]

Hue Jackson is available!

[gmartin]

Hue doesn't do well coaching teams dressed in brown and orange

[Antimob]

The parents in question who feel that way about Durkin number (per the story) a half dozen. 6 out of 200.

I'd take the feelings of the 194 over the 6 any day, but the current search and destroy media culture will elevate the opinions of the tiny minority to super majority status.

This search should be focused on finding the best coach for BG and not worry about tip-toeing on eggshells hoping to not offend anyone.

Durkin was a victim of dishonest media figures that want to build their careers by taking prominent figures down and cowardly, craven, scared of their own shadow administrators worried that if they don't feed them their pound of flesh they'll be the next target.

[Flipper]

A kid died because he hired an incompetent trainer...let's not overlook that.

[Antimob]

The guy had been the head athletic trainer for 12 years when he took over. If this guy was inept it was missed by dozens of other coaches and administrators. When he took over he would have had no cause to fire him. Football coaches bring assistants and strength coaches with them, not athletic trainers.