Trust Me
Coli Prophet
What I know on Michigan's situation with D.J. Durkin's departure:
1. I was told by an excellent Michigan source that this "shouldn't catch top targets by surprise". Take that for what you will, but it at least appears that there was some indication given to recruits that Durkin would take the job if offered.
2. A little more on the three names I put out earlier with added intel and two more names to potentially keep an eye on:
Scott Shafer - I do believe that Scott Shafer is the odds-on favorite to replace Durkin for a few reasons. One, he's familiar with Jim Harbaugh, working with him at Stanford in 2007. Two, he's familiar with the Michigan program having spent time there under Rich Rodriguez. Three, he's had a very high level of success coaching the defensive side of the ball for his entire career outside of (ironically) his stop at Michigan, where he was instructed to run Rodriguez's standard 3-3-5 defense. Syracuse has consistently fielded one of the top defenses in the country under Shafer despite recruiting underwhelming talent. Two sources mentioned Shafer immediately when Durkin's name popped up for the Maryland vacancy.
Vic Fangio - The longshot as he reportedly turned down Harbaugh the first time around, but he's a name that has been thrown around behind the scenes. Michigan will pay top dollar for a replacement in this situation, so if he truly is the guy Harbaugh would want to focus on, we're not fully going to write him off at this point. He would be a coup.
Don Martindale - I had one source mention Martindale last week and another backed it up on Tuesday as a potential "dark horse" candidate. He worked with Jim's father Jack Harbaugh at both Cincinnati and Western Kentucky, and currently works under John Harbaugh in Baltimore as the linebackers coach. He's an Ohio native as well, something that wouldn't hurt on the recruiting trail. He is a wild-card type candidate.
The other two names that many are speculating on are Chuck Heater, the former Michigan running back turned defensive coordinator, as he currently coaches the position at Marshall and has coached at Ohio State, Notre Dame, Washington and Florida among others. Heater is 63 years old and hasn't crossed paths with Harbaugh at any point in his career. That's not a prerequisite for getting hired (see: Jedd Fisch), but seems to be a common theme with the majority of them. The other name is Stanford defensive coordinator Lance Anderson, who was hired by Harbaugh in 2007 and ascended under David Shaw to defensive coordinator, where he has been for a few years. Anderson's name was also thrown around in the original coaching search, but more as an addition to a staff that would have already included Durkin. He could be a name to watch if given the opportunity to run the defense himself, as he's more than capable of doing.
Reactions
Recruit reactions are all going to be similar: Kids who were recruited by Durkin will be bummed, but it's unlikely to be a "make or break" situation for committed or senior recruits, most of whom understand what the Michigan program is about. I'll add to this as reactions come in.
2017 safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell: "It hurts a little bit, because I was building a good relationship with Coach Durkin, along with Coach Partridge. Coach Durkin has run great defenses now both at Florida and at Michigan. I'm excited to see who Michigan hires to replace him though."
2016 OL Terrance Davis (Michigan/Maryland target): "This doesn't affect my view of Michigan at all"
@Trust Me relax breh
Wanna know what scares me breh? Not ONE of them D-coords know the first thing on how to stop a spread.
I'll trust Jim he'll get us a good D-coordinator he's done it at every stop no worries
I just want him to stay here until Jabrill leaves
@XCV____ 
