Kirk Ferentz: Where Does He Rank Among Big Ten Coaches?
By Jeremy Karll
No. 10 – D.J. Durkin, Maryland Terrapins (5-2)
Taking over a program that doesn’t have a rich history of football is never easy. The former defensive coordinator at Michigan, D.J. Durkin, has taken Maryland to unexpected heights in his first season as head coach.
A year after going 3-9, Maryland is 5-2 and has a legitimate chance to end the season with eight wins. The Terrapins started the season 4-0 and started to gain national recognition. Plus, even with Michigan State’s down year, beating the Spartans is a great win for Maryland’s program.
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Maryland benefitted from a weak early season schedule, but it’s clear that Durkin’s defensive background has already started to take form with the Terrapins. Maryland ranks 18th in scoring defense and has intercepted nine passes this year.
The Terrapins have been unable to replace Stefon Diggs over the past couple of seasons on offense, though. That being said, quarterback Perry Hills has looked very good this year and Durkin has a very strong recruiting class.
Maryland landed a five-star defensive end to go along with three-four star recruits and 13 three star recruits. The Terrapins currently own the 13th best recruiting class in the nation in 2017, and a rise in the program could happen very soon.
Maryland has not been ranked since 2013 and hasn’t been in the top-15 since 2003. However, Durkin revamped this program very quickly in 2016 and they should continue to get better over the next couple of years.