Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh thanked his former defensive coordinator, DJ Durkin, for a "job well done" after Durkin left Ann Arbor for Maryland following the regular season. Now that Harbaugh's hired a new coordinator to replace Durkin in Boston College's Don Brown, he's sounding a slightly – though not completely – different tune.
"I've always had this kind of vision that if we lose a coach, and we lost D.J. Durkin to a head coaching position at Maryland, very excited for him and D.J. did a tremendous job. The goal is to find a better coach," Harbaugh told WXYZ-TV's Brad Galli, via MLive.com's Nick Baumgardner. "I think we have a tremendous opportunity in Don Brown of accomplishing that goal."
This isn't exactly a potshot on Harbaugh's part. He's known Durkin for a long time and clearly respects him. But Baumgardner, on Twitter, explained a bit more on Harbaugh's rationale here:
Durkin? He left the program. He's now Harbaugh's enemy. Like everyone else who isn't currently on his team. https://t.co/NrkQtXVYs9
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) December 22, 2015
Anyway, Brown is a really good coach. He's coached a long line of havoc-wreaking defenses, with a scheme somewhat similar to Durkin's own. His Boston College unit last year was No. 1 in the nation in total defense, ceding 254 yards per game. Durkin's Wolverines finished three spots behind him, allowing 281.
Note: I've updated our headline above to more fully reflect Harbaugh's commentary, lest anyone think we're putting words in the coach's mouth.