Gator Country

Florida Gators assistant DJ Durkin works with players early in a 14-6 win against LSU on Oct. 6, 2012, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. / Gator Country photo by Wes Hall

FootballScoop.com has named Florida Gators assistant DJ Durkin as a finalist for Special Teams Coordinator of the Year.

Other finalist are Sean Snyder of Kansas State and Jeff Ulbrich of UCLA. The winner of this award will be announced in January at the American Football Coaches Association’s annual convention.

Under Durkin, who also coaches linebackers, Florida is third in net punting with a 41.6 yards per punt average. The Gators have blocked an SEC-leading four kicks this season, including a punt block by Loucheiz Purifoy against Louisiana-Lafayette that led to a game-winning touchdown.

Durkin also coaches finalists for both the Ray Guy Award (Kyle Christy) and the Lou Groza Award (Caleb Sturgis), which are given out to the top punter and kicker, respectively.

On the season, the Gators have missed just one PAT and five field goals. Sturgis’ longest field goal was from 51-yards out.

About the author

Andrew Spivey

Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

More Football | RSS