Durkin, Candle land FBS head coaching jobs
Staff and wire reports
Two more from the Mahoning Valley have joined the head coaching ranks of college football.
Maryland hired Michigan defensive coordinator and Boardman High graduate D.J. Durkin on Wednesday to be its head coach, taking a key assistant away from its Big Ten East rivals.
At Toledo, West Branch grad Jason Candle takes over for Matt Campbell, who departed for Iowa State. Another West Branch grad, ex-Youngstown State coach Jon Heacock, briefly was the interim head coach of the Rockets from Sunday through Wednesday.
Other current college football head coaches from the Valley include Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, and Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi. Current YSU head coach Bo Pelini coached at Nebraska last year.
All but Narduzzi are Cardinal Mooney High School graduates. Narduzzi is an Ursuline High School graduate.
Durkin, 37, is in his first season at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh, where he served alongside Chaney's Michael Zordich, who was the Wolverines’ defensive backs coach. He led a defense that ranks fourth in the nation in yards allowed per game. Before working at Michigan, Durkin was the defensive coordinator at Florida for two years.
Durkin also worked for Harbaugh at Stanford staff and started his career as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green when Urban Meyer was the coach there. Durkin was a linebacker at Bowling Green from 1997-2000.
“Maryland’s commitment to excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community aligns with my principles of building an elite program,” Durkin said. “I look forward to bringing an exciting and successful brand of football to our passionate fan base and supporters.”
Durkin replaces Randy Edsall, who was fired midway through the season. The Terrapins finished the season 3-9, winning one game under interim coach Mike Locksley, the former offensive coordinator who was also considered for the job.
“We began this search looking for a candidate with qualities that aligned with our vision for the football program, and throughout the process it became clear D.J. was the perfect fit,” Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson said in a statement.
“He has had success at some of the nation’s most pre-eminent football programs, is recognized as one of the top recruiters in the country and is widely respected as one the top young coaches across the college football landscape.”
Maryland moved into the Big Ten last year after decades in the Atlantic Coast Conference and went 7-6 under Edsall. It was the second straight 7-6 for the Terps, but this year the program bottomed out and Edsall was let go after four-plus seasons.
In the Big Ten East, the Terps have to contend with Michigan, Meyer and Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State, making it tougher than ever for the Terps to be a consistent winner and conference contender.
Durkin also served as interim head coach for Florida last season after Will Muschamp was fired and he led the team to a bowl victory. Durkin’s defenses at Florida also rated among the best in the country.
The 36-year-old Candle has been at Toledo since 2009 and the offensive coordinator since 2012, when Campbell was promoted to coach of the Rockets. Candle was considering joining Campbell, his old college teammate, in Ames, Iowa.
Candle is a 2003 Mount Union graduate. He was a receiver at the Division III powerhouse in Alliance and started his coaching career there before coming to Toledo.
The Rockets went 9-2 this season and have averaged at least 440 yards per game with Candle as coordinator. Toledo will find out Sunday what bowl game it will play.