How DJ Durkin Will Bring More Speed to the Michigan Defense

D.J. Durkin has been on the job less than two weeks and he’s already put Michigan in prime position to upgrade its overall defensive speed. Durkin comes to Michigan after competing in the SEC for five seasons at Florida. His efforts have convinced 4-star recruit Roquan Smith to put Michigan in his top three schools with two weeks to go before national signing day.

Roquan Smith is the No. 47-ranked recruit in the nation according to 247Sports, and he has narrowed his list down to Michigan, UCLA and Georgia.

Michigan hadn’t been a contender for the highly touted recruit until Durkin was hired. Smith talked about Michigan’s new defensive coordinator on MLive:

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My relationship with him is really good," Smith told MLive earlier this month. "I know he takes care of his players on and off the field, he's a great guy at heart. He's great at developing guys and doing all he can for them, I know that.

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Smith won’t be the only player from SEC territory who is drawn to Durkin’s experience and reputation. Rivals named him the 2012 Recruiter of the Year for his previous efforts.

Durkin’s recruitment of Smith proves that Michigan will have a strong presence in Florida and Georgia, which are both among the top states in producing NFL talent.

Rank	State	Number
1	Florida	104
2	California	86
3	Texas	82
4	Georgia	51
5	Ohio	38
6	South Carolina	27
7	Lousiana	25
7	North Carolina	25
9	Alabama	23
10	Virginia	21
14	Michigan	16

A closer look at the top states producing NFL talent reveals a road map for Durkin to infuse his defense with speed.

During his career he has developed strong relationships with local high school coaches in five out of the top six states producing pro talent: Florida (SEC), California (Stanford), Georgia (SEC), Ohio (Bowling Green) and South Carolina (SEC).

His reputation as a top defensive coach comes from his success at Florida, where his squads were ranked among the very best in the nation (15th in 2014 and eighth in 2013) over the last two seasons.

Durkin is part of a staff that has a unique mix of national recruiting reach and experience in identifying and developing pro talent. Between Jim Harbaugh and his coaches, Michigan has the credibility to recruit any player from anywhere.

One positive result of Ohio State’s national championship is that Durkin can make the case that recruits will be competing in one of the top divisions in all of college football. A schedule that includes Ohio State, Michigan State and a resurgent Penn State along with newcomers Maryland and Rutgers appears a lot more interesting after this past season’s results.

With signing day quickly approaching, Michigan’s new coaches are working to bring in their first recruiting class. D.J. Durkin is pressing for that class to include a speed upgrade for his defense. If he’s successful, Michigan’s march to the Big Ten championship will have begun.

Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand

Follow @PCallihan