UNC Football: Getting D.J. Durkin would be a slam dunk hire

On Sunday night, Inside Carolina’s Ben Sherman reported that the Tar Heels were looking to hire Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin for the Tar Heel’s vacant defensive coordinator position. From that article…

"Tar Heel head coach Larry Fedora met with Durkin on Sunday, sources confirmed, and the UNC administration has granted Fedora the ability to offer a competitive financial package.The 36-year-old Durkin served two seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Will Muschamp, who was fired by Florida last month. The Gators were ranked Top 10 nationally in defense both seasons Durkin was in charge of the unit."

Durkin is also being pursued by Texas A&M, per Saturday Down South.

My first reactions to North Carolina being linked to Florida’s defensive coordinator? Surprise and excitement. If the Tar Heels can find a way to get Durkin to be their next defensive coordinator, that would absolutely be a program altering hire and an absolute slam dunk pick for the new defensive coordinator.

My excitement stems more from the fact that Durkin is an SEC-caliber coach than for what his Florida defenses did on the field. Let me explain. At Florida, Durkin had top talent that Vic Koenning, UNC’s former D-Coordinator, didn’t have access to. Durkin crafted a top-10 defense at Florida, but he did it with top flight recruits. I’m sure if you gave Koenning the same recruits and two years at Florida that he could produce the same kind of results.

My excitement for the potential hire comes more from the fact that Durkin is an SEC-caliber coach and a huge name that recruits will respect and want to come play for. If hired, Durkin could change the caliber of players that the Tar Heels could recruit. He could go into the homes of four and five-star prospects around the country, point to the results he got at Florida, and get those kinds of athletes in the doors at Carolina. Durkin would bring a real excitement to the Carolina defensive recruiting classes that would get more players like Jalen Dalton in the doors and on the field playing good quality football.

I believe Durkin would really move the needle to get Carolina back on top of the ACC Coastal landscape. Adding a top-flight defense under Coach Durkin to an already strong offense under the guidance of Coach Fedora would make the Tar Heels competitive for ACC Coastal division titles season after season. Remember, even getting the Heels defense to improve from 119th in points allowed per game (per ESPN.com) to like 60th, which in 2014 was Auburn allowing 26.1 points per game, would be huge.

It would take a few recruiting classes, but once Durkin gets his defensive players signed, in addition to the type of athletes that Fedora is recruiting on the offensive side of the ball, and Carolina could really grow into one of the better programs in the ACC Coastal division.

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I also think the hire would extend Coach Fedora’s leash if the Tar Heels struggle next season. D.J. Durkin is the kind of hire that brings new life into a program and extends the current coaches’ time. If UNC goes 4-8 or even 6-6 next season, the anti-Fedora crowd will come out of the woodwork wanting Fedora’s job. But if Carolina hires Durkin, I think Fedora gets two or three extra years to allow for Durkin to get his recruits and his defense working.

In the end, Durkin has a huge impact on the short and long-term prospects of the Carolina defense. Even if Durkin can turn Carolina’s defense from putrid to average in year one, he will have made a huge impact on the short-term prospects of the defense. And with his SEC ties and potential to sign blue chip recruits, the hire of Durkin makes a huge impact on the long-term outlook of the Tar Heel defense.

Getting Durkin is going to be tough. He is one of the better defensive coaches out on the free market now, and Carolina is fighting with some big programs to try and win him over. It will take a competitive monetary offer (read: millions of dollars per year in salary) from Coach Fedora to bring Coach Durkin up to Chapel Hill. But if Fedora can lure Durkin to Carolina, it would be his biggest win on the recruiting trail to date and set him up for success with many top-flight defensive recruits for years to come.

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