Jimbo Fisher reaffirms trust in DJ Durkin as defensive coordinator

Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher is not losing faith in defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. After the Aggies gave up 42 points in a loss to Mississippi State last weekend, Fisher was asked whether he still believes in Durkin’s scheme.

That led to a short but clear answer from the A&M head man.

“Sure do,” Fisher said.

The truth is, the Aggies have much more than their defense to blame for the loss. They turned the ball over four times and had a blocked field goal that the Bulldogs returned for a touchdown. That isn’t to say the defense played well — they still gave up 473 yards and four touchdowns — just that they aren’t entirely at fault for the result.

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Durkin is in his first season as the A&M defensive coordinator after stops at Ole Miss, Michigan and even as the head coach at Maryland from 2016-18. He took over for Mike Elko, he left after four seasons to become the next head coach at Duke.

The Aggies defense ranked among the top three in the SEC in total defense the past two seasons under Elko, but has taken a step back this season. A&M is ninth the conference in total defense this year, and 12th against the run (170.2 rushing yards allowed per game). A lot of that has to do with the players lost on the defensive line, but it’s clear the Aggies have to find a way to get better, and fast.

Jimbo Fisher will hope for an improved performance from DJ Durkin and the defense when Texas A&M travels to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday.

DJ Durkin explains his approach to building a defense

First-year Texas A&M defensive coordinator DJ Durkin has made his fair share of coaching stops throughout his career from Ole Miss to Maryland to Michigan, and was asked if his approach in building his defense in College Station would be similar to his past stops.

“I think wherever you are, any job all that, it’s really about, especially this day and age, about creating buy in. It’s about a group of coaches and a group of players all coming together for one common goal, and learn to be a part of something bigger than just themselves which is a hard thing nowadays,” Durkin said.

Durkin’s perspective on the game is inspirative, as he hopes to maintain the strong defensive culture that’s been built at A&M recently through getting his coaches and players to buy into the team as a collective.

“That’s what I love about the game of football,” Durkin said. “I love about coaching is it’s one of those opportunities where I think there’s very few anymore where you can really teach team concept and teach guys my actions, my words, the things I chose to do affect more than just me. And so really getting guys to be there for one another and buy into that, and the quicker you’re able to do that with coaches and players all alike, obviously the more success you’ll have.

On3’s Kaiden Smith contributed to this report.