For any coordinator-turned-first time head coach, hiring a coordinator to run the opposite side of the ball is the most important decision he’ll ever make. In many ways, it is that opposite-side coordinator who will decide the fate of his tenure, not the head coach.
Michigan defensive coordinator-turned-Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin (pictured) has made his call for offensive coordinator, and he’s going with Walt Bell, the Terps announced Sunday.
Bell spent the past two seasons as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas State, concluding his tenure with last night’s loss to Louisiana Tech in the New Orleans Bowl.
“Walt is one of the brightest offensive minds in college football and I’m excited to have him on my staff,” Durkin said in a statement. “He has a track record of being part of some of the most potent offenses in college football and he’s going to bring that exciting brand of football to Maryland.”
His Red Wolves ranked 47th nationally in yards per play, 36th in total offense and 14th in scoring this fall, helping Arkansas State finish 9-4 with a Sun Belt championship.
Prior to Arkansas State, Bell served as Eric Ebron‘s position coach at North Carolina, then as an offensive staff member on Larry Fedora‘s Southern Miss teams. He is a former Middle Tennessee wide receiver, earning his bachelor’s degree in 2005.
At Maryland, Bell will work to rehabilitate an offense that finished 95th nationally in scoring and 84th in yards per play in 2015.