This morning, I posted about interest in former Texas A&M defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.
After a very busy day chasing down as much as I could, there are two things I can tell you with certainty:
1) DJ Durkin has been contacted and is very much in the mix
2) A hire has not been made and interviews are still happening
Durkin is the one guy I can tell you without question has been talked to. I know there are others, I just don't know for sure who they are or how many. I also know other schools have interest in Durkin (with Auburn being the most likely competitor from what I've been able to piece together).
I am confident that interviews were still ongoing as of today. I believe a decision is likely coming soon and we could see some movement in terms of a hire as soon as tomorrow. I am not saying it will be tomorrow. It could certainly stretch into the weekend and potentially even beyond. These things generally leak somewhere in the media (yes, we certainly hope that is here and will do everything we can to make that happen) before an official announcement or release from the school.
Anyone saying this is done is, I believe based on everything I've put together, premature. Because he is the only name we're certain about there will probably be an assumption that Durkin is the top guy. I don't know that. He may be, but I can't say that for sure. I'll spend most of my day tomorrow trying to chase this down in hopes that we can break the news. Stay tuned, I believe our long national nightmare is nearing its conclusion.
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: I don't have the other names for you, but can tell you that Eli Drinkwitz conducted at least two interviews in addition to Durkin this week. A source told us Drinkwitz interviewed someone in Omaha on Wednesday and was in Tampa conducting an interview on Thursday night. I'd warn not to necessarily connect these locations to candidates that are in those specific cities. Coaches are on the road recruiting across the country and can also fly to neutral locations. He could talk to just about anyone anywhere (for example, we're pretty confident he was in Dallas last weekend and suspect--but do not know--that's where he may have talked to Durkin).
After a very busy day chasing down as much as I could, there are two things I can tell you with certainty:
1) DJ Durkin has been contacted and is very much in the mix
2) A hire has not been made and interviews are still happening
Durkin is the one guy I can tell you without question has been talked to. I know there are others, I just don't know for sure who they are or how many. I also know other schools have interest in Durkin (with Auburn being the most likely competitor from what I've been able to piece together).
I am confident that interviews were still ongoing as of today. I believe a decision is likely coming soon and we could see some movement in terms of a hire as soon as tomorrow. I am not saying it will be tomorrow. It could certainly stretch into the weekend and potentially even beyond. These things generally leak somewhere in the media (yes, we certainly hope that is here and will do everything we can to make that happen) before an official announcement or release from the school.
Anyone saying this is done is, I believe based on everything I've put together, premature. Because he is the only name we're certain about there will probably be an assumption that Durkin is the top guy. I don't know that. He may be, but I can't say that for sure. I'll spend most of my day tomorrow trying to chase this down in hopes that we can break the news. Stay tuned, I believe our long national nightmare is nearing its conclusion.
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: I don't have the other names for you, but can tell you that Eli Drinkwitz conducted at least two interviews in addition to Durkin this week. A source told us Drinkwitz interviewed someone in Omaha on Wednesday and was in Tampa conducting an interview on Thursday night. I'd warn not to necessarily connect these locations to candidates that are in those specific cities. Coaches are on the road recruiting across the country and can also fly to neutral locations. He could talk to just about anyone anywhere (for example, we're pretty confident he was in Dallas last weekend and suspect--but do not know--that's where he may have talked to Durkin).
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