While there haven't been any concrete names mentioned as far as who Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule might look at for his now vacant defensive coordinator position, Brad White and DJ Durkin are officially off the board, if they were ever on it.
The Huskers have an opening after defensive coordinator John Butler was fired on Monday after just one season at the position and two seasons overall in Lincoln. Butler oversaw a defense that was routinely gashed by opponents' run game. His pass defense also took a couple of significant steps back late in the season as teams attacked his units' most significant weaknesses.
A few names have been floated since Nebraska made the move, mainly because the coaching carousel has been spinning wildly since Sunday. However, White and Durkin appear to have taken positions elsewhere.
Two prominent defensive names no longer options in Nebraska’s DC search
White, who has spent several seasons as the defensive coordinator for Kentucky, was thought to perhaps be available after head coach Mark Stoops was fired this weekend. However, the Florida Gators and new head coach Jon Sumrall wasted no time in snapping White up and keeping him in the SEC.
DJ Durkin spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator and interim head coach with Auburn. When former USF coach Alex Golesh was hired by the Tigers, he announced he was keeping Durkin on the staff.
It's certainly possible that neither of these men was even a candidate. Of course, we've also seen from the Penn State debacle that even if they weren't the first choice, it's nice to have more options out there.
Matt Rhule and Nebraska will officially have to look elsewhere to fill the open defensive coordinator position.