Maryland Football: D.J. Durkin takes the podium at Big Ten Media Days

Big Ten Media Days got underway on Monday afternoon in Chicago.

Maryland coach D.J. Durkin spoke on a variety of topics, including Maryland’s upcoming season. We have a few of the highlights from that press conference below.

Durkin was hired to revitalize a program that had fell under dark times under former coach Randy Edsall. Edsall had taken the Terrapins to a pair of bowl games during his tenure, but was let go before even finishing the 2015 campaign.

Durkin was hired back in December of 2015 after being one of the top assistant coaches on the open market. He came to College Park with a strong track record as a recruiter and defensive mind.

After having worked under great head coaches like Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer, Durkin took his turn as a Big Ten coach.

Durkin’s first year definitely was a success considering where the program was just a year prior. He led Maryland to a 6-7 record and a bowl game in his first season as a head coach.

Maryland fell to Boston College in the Quick Lane Bowl, but there were plenty of positives to take from Durkin’s first season. He recruited at a extraordinarily high level and had one of the top running games in the country despite inconsistencies at the quarterback position.

As the Terps build for the second year of the Durkin era, it’s certainly not going to get any easier. Maryland opens the 2017 season against Texas and faces a grueling gauntlet in the Big Ten East this fall.

On opening the season against Texas

“Obviously, our players have a great understanding of the tradition and level of talent on the roster at Texas. As a competitor, when you know you’re up against a worthy opponent, your focus tightens up a little bit and you sharpen your focus. That’s not something that we spend a lot of time talking about. We’re really focused on our team and us getting better every day. Obviously, that’s something that is in the back of everyone’s mind. I think it forces you to be a little more on your game. You have to be ready Week 1.”

On how close Maryland is to competing in the Big Ten

“Our conference and division is the most competitive there is out there. We’re getting closer and closer every day. We’re recruiting at a level that will put us in a position that we want to be in. We’re here to win championships and we’re here to compete to win it. That’s what we’re going to do. We just took a great first step with that recruiting that we put together.”

Next: Jesse Bernhardt hired as assistant coach

On the success the Terps have had recruiting

“Anytime you’re recruiting, it’s sales. You have to have a good product to sell. We have a great product. We have Cole Field House that is going in. Within three hours of our campus, there’s some of the best talent in the entire country. When you have those guys there, we can get them on campus frequently. We have a staff and a team of players that all work hard in recruiting together. All of those factors allow us to recruit at a high level. Going forward, I feel like we can put ourselves on the map with anyone.”