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Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze has by no means been one to draw back from controversy.
The truth is, some may say that controversy is the largest cause that Freeze is even a family title. Take, for example, resigning from Ole Miss in disgrace after he was discovered to have known as an escort service from a college telephone.
However now Freeze is again within the SEC, and he’s doubling down on the controversy together with his newest defensive coordinator rent.
Hugh Freeze is hiring DJ Durkin to be @AuburnFootball’s DC, sources inform ESPN. It is going to be Durkin’s fourth totally different stint as a DC within the SEC. He was at Texas A&M the previous two seasons, Ole Miss the 2 seasons previous to that and Florida in 2013-14.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) January 30, 2024
ESPN’s Chris Low studies that Freeze employed former Maryland head coach DJ Durkin, who most not too long ago served because the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M.
Hugh Freeze Hires Defensive Coordinator Related With Dying Of Former Participant
Why is Durkin now not a head coach, you ask? Properly, partly as a result of he simply wasn’t excellent at it.
However extra so, as a result of Durkin was the pinnacle coach at Maryland when offensive lineman Jordan McNair handed away after displaying indicators of heatstroke and exhaustion whereas collaborating in a staff exercise. McNair was simply 19 years previous.
An additional investigation by ESPN revealed that Durkin had created a harmful, “poisonous tradition” across the Maryland program.
Among the many findings, ESPN found that:
– “There’s a teaching atmosphere based mostly on concern and intimidation. In a single instance, a participant holding a meal whereas in a gathering had the meal slapped out of his arms in entrance of the staff. At different instances, small weights and different objects have been thrown within the path of gamers when (power and conditioning coach Rick) Courtroom was offended.”
– “Excessive verbal abuse of gamers happens usually. Gamers are routinely the targets of obscenity-laced epithets meant to mock their masculinity when they’re unable to finish a exercise or weight elevate, for instance. One participant was belittled verbally after passing out throughout a drill.”
Not an important search for Durkin!
However Freeze doesn’t appear to care about that. He’s simply making an attempt to win soccer video games. And after a 6-7 first season with the Tigers, it seems that he’s keen to do nearly something to take action.
