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Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin hired three assistant coaches on Thursday, including former Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin.

Durkin, who turns 42 this month, was fired by Maryland in October 2018 after a 10-week investigation that followed the death of tackle Jordan McNair during summer workouts.

Durkin originally was placed on administrative leave in August 2018 following an ESPN report that described the culture in his Terrapins program as “toxic.” He was reinstated in late October but fired the next day following a public backlash.

An independent investigation determined that Durkin was not at fault in McNair’s death.

Durkin took over at Maryland in 2016 and compiled a 10-15 record in two seasons. Before that, he was an assistant coach at Michigan, Florida, Stanford, Bowling Green and Notre Dame. He was named Rivals’ Recruiter of the Year in 2012.



He spent the 2019 season doing consulting work with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and with several college football programs, including Alabama.

Mississippi also announced the hiring of Chris Partridge, who spent the past four seasons at Michigan, and Joe Jon Finley, a former NFL tight end, who has coached at Texas A&M, Missouri and Baylor.

OFFICIAL | Ole Miss adds three to coaching staff

Welcome to the family‼️

📰 https://t.co/NETLJ0ZXQ3 pic.twitter.com/G6kxU8aAMg

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) January 2, 2020

Partridge was special teams coordinator at Michigan and also coached safeties and linebackers during his tenure. He was the Wolverines’ director of player personnel in 2015 when Durkin was Michigan’s defensive coordinator.

Partridge was named National Recruiter of the Year by Scout in 2016 and by 247Sports in 2017.

The Rebels hired Kiffin last month to replace Matt Luke, who was fired after a 4-8 season. The school did not specify which roles the newly hired coaches will fill.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)