Jimbo Fisher provides assessment of new defensive coordinator DJ Durkin

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher cracked a joke when discussing first-year defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. Asked how Durkin was fitting in with the team, Fisher started talking about his physical attributes as if he were a player.

“He’s got in good shape in the offseason,” a smiling Fisher said. “He’s ran well, he’s worked out well. I think he passed conditioning tests and he’s done pretty good.”

The response elicited laughter from the reporters in attendance, one of whom even played along by asking what Durkin’s 40-yard dash time was. But once the moment had passed, Fisher finally dove in to deliver a serious answer on his new DC.

“He’s been doing a great job with our guys,” Fisher said. “Leading them and putting them on the same page. I love the schemes that he’s doing. A lot of the same stuff and then there’s added things that he does a little differently. Sometimes, there’s things you may not even notice.”

Durkin is set to take over for Mike Elko, who left this offseason to become the next head coach at Duke. Elko helped develop the Aggies defense into a top three defense in the SEC over the past two seasons using a 4-2-5 scheme. But with a new coach in charge, it begs the question as to what method A&M will employ going forward.

DJ Durkin defenses have made use of both 4-3 and 3-4 schemes throughout the years, and Jimbo Fisher said the Aggies will mix in a little bit of everything this season. However, they still plan for the four-down front to be the main scheme they use.

“Everybody says, ‘Is he three-down or four-down?'” Fisher said. “Well, he’s four-down. But the point being is that we mix three and we do everything. How you play the four-down. Different reads and nuances. Just like everybody lines up in spread formation, but it’s how they read and how they key. He’s a very sharp guy. A very detailed guy and a very good coach. The guys have responded to him really well.”

The Aggies’ four-down front has led to them being one of the best defenses in the SEC when it comes to defending the run. This past season, they were one of just two teams in the conference (the other being Georgia) to hold opponents under 100 rushing yards per game. However, they lose key contributors Jayden Peevy, Tyree Johnson, DeMarvin Leal, and Michael Clemons.

With basically a whole new group of faces up front, Durkin’s coaching ability will be put to the test early. A&M is set to kick off the 2022 season on Sept. 3 against FCS school Sam Houston State.