Texas A&M Football: 3 things you need to know about new DC DJ Durkin

No. 2: New Texas A&M football DC DJ Durkin is a creative defensive coordinator

Some defensive coordinators at the college football level have a set scheme and don’t often change it. For some, this works out. DJ Durkin, however, likes to switch things up. To this point in his career, it has worked swimmingly for the former Terps head coach.

Here’s a little snippet from Fan Nation about Durkin’s willingness to keep opposing offenses on their toes before the 2021 season.

"Durkin, in his first year as the Rebels’ Co-Defensive Coordinator alongside Chris Partridge – wants the team to play multiple fronts and multiple coverages this upcoming season. Essentially, the Rebels aren’t going to be a 4-3 team or a 3-4 team or a 3-3-5 team. They’re going to do it all. To Durkin, that multiple style is the best way defenses can combat the various spread philosophies that have percolated throughout football over this decade."

Durkin, however, will have a new challenge in College Station. Rather than reviving a poor defensive unit, he’ll be trying to spearhead a squad that already had one of the best defenses in the nation.

Last season, the Aggies ranked third in the country in scoring defense and will be bringing forth some of the best defensive players from the high school level. A&M has four of the top-20 players in the 2022 class — three of them play on the defensive side of the ball.