As first reported by RebelGrove.com, Ole Miss is hiring former Maryland coach D.J. Durkin, most recently an analyst with the Atlanta Falcons, as an assistant on Lane Kiffin's staff in Oxford.

Ole Miss announced the hiring of Durkin, along with the hirings of former Michigan assistant Chris Partridge and former Texas A&M assistant Joe Jon Finley, in a press release Thursday.

The decision to hire Durkin, who was embroiled in scandal prior to his dismissal at Maryland, wasn't one Ole Miss entered into lightly.

“As part of our standard vetting process for all hires, the university conducted a thorough background check on Coach Durkin, and we connected with several highly respected college football coaches, administrators and school officials about their experiences working with him," Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter said in a statement.

"We received consistently strong feedback about Coach Durkin’s strong character and work ethic and his positive impact on the communities and institutions where he was previously employed. Once we had the chance to spend time with Coach Durkin, we were even more convinced that he is exactly the type of accomplished coach with strong football credentials who is also a proud and committed family man that will make him a great addition to our new staff.”

Any discussion about Durkin moving forward must include a look at his past. Durkin, who will turn 42 later this month, is a Youngstown, Ohio, native. He played both offense and defense at Bowling Green and began his coaching career (after graduate assistantships at Notre Dame and Bowling Green) at his alma mater. Durkin also coached at Stanford and Florida, earning Rivals.com recruiter of the year honors in Gainesville in 2012, before being named defensive coordinator at Michigan.,

Durkin was hired as the head coach at Maryland in December 2015 and led the Terrapins to a 6-7 mark in 2016 and a 4-8 record in 2017. Under Durkin, the Terrapins began recruiting at a high level and were considered one of the up-and-coming programs in the Big Ten.

Then tragedy struck. On May 29, 2018, offensive lineman Jordan McNair couldn't complete a conditioning workout. The team was asked to run 10 110-yard sprints. McNair was struggling midway through the workout and could not complete it. He was eventually taken to a local hospital, where his body temperature registered 106 degrees.

On June 13, 2018, McNair died. He was 19 years old.

Within days, Maryland hired sports medicine consultant Rod Walters to conduct a review into McNair's death. On Aug. 10, 2018, ESPN published a story claiming there was a "toxic culture" within the Maryland program, pinning the blame on Durkin and strength and conditioning coach Rick Court. A day later, Durkin was placed on administrative leave.

Maryland president Wallace D. Loh formed a committee to investigate ESPN's claims. The University System of Maryland Board of Regents took it over. On Sept. 21, 2018, the board released Walters' findings. Walters blamed trainers for failing to recognize symptoms of heat stroke and not treating McNair properly. In late October 2018, the board found there was "no toxic culture," issuing a report that was damning of Court and the University of Maryland athletics department.

Durkin met with the board in the subsequent days, presenting a plan to move Maryland football forward. Board chairman James Brady described the presentation as "incredibly forthright," and on. Oct. 30, Durkin was reinstated. He held a team meeting that afternoon, one in which three players walked out. He conducted practice that evening and prepared for that weekend's home game against Michigan State.

However, the public and media backlash was strong. One of McNair's closest friends on the team, former high school teammate. Ellis McKennie, published a tweet that went viral, and McNair's father, Marty McNair, said he felt he'd been "punched in the stomach and spit in my face."

On Oct. 31, 2018, Maryland reversed course and fired Durkin without cause. He was paid the remainder of his contract.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin zeroed in on Durkin after landing the job in Oxford last month, per several NFL sources. Durkin spent the past season working under his friend Dan Quinn with the Atlanta Falcons.

While the Falcons completed their season, Ole Miss officials dug into Durkin's background, speaking with multiple people who knew and know him well. Ole Miss officials concluded, per university sources, Durkin absolutely deserved a second chance.

There will be backlash today, I would assume. Some national media types will light up their torches and take Ole Miss to task. It's almost inevitable. However, it has to be noted that neither the Walters report or the Board of Regents report held Durkin culpable in McNair's death. It has to be noted that Maryland fired Durkin without cause. Those are facts.

Yes, a young man died. Yes, that is tragic beyond words. Yes, cold water immersion should have been readily available to bring McNair's body temperature down to safe levels. Durkin and Maryland hired people to do those things, and on that horrible May down in College Park, they failed.

Kiffin wanted Durkin. Ole Miss did the right thing to investigate and ultimately, to let the new coach hire the people he wants to hire to rebuild the Rebels' program. It's Kiffin's job to hire the people he believes will get the job done. If he believes Durkin is one of those people, he must be willing to stake his job on it.

According to NFL people who know Durkin well, the McNair situation has humbled him. They describe him as a strong family man who actively gives back to his community.

Ole Miss gave Kiffin a second chance of sorts in December, providing the opportunity to once again be a Power 5 head coach. It's fitting that, 15 months after Durkin lost his job at Maryland, Kiffin is the one giving him a chance to return to the college game.