The University of Maryland had $50,000 worth of outside help in the search leading to the hiring of head football coach DJ Durkin, according to school documents obtained in a public records request.
The university paid a $50,000 consulting fee to Chuck Neinas, president of Colorado-based Neinas Sports Services, according to a December invoice he sent to the school. Durkin, the former Michigan defensive coordinator, was hired on Dec. 2.
Neinas is a former acting commissioner of the Big 12 Conference who once negotiated television contracts for the now-defunct College Football Association.
For years, Neinas has been a football headhunter familiar with the national coaching landscape.