After DJ Durkin was placed on leave Saturday evening, current Maryland football players -- who spent the morning practicing -- broke their social media silence. A number of them either spoke up in support of their coach or made it clear they're ready for the season-opener against Texas on September 1st.

More former players also spoke up, including Wes Brown, a talented but at times troubled running back who was suspended by Durkin and received a career-low 33 carries its a senior in 2016, Durkin's first year. Brown spent most of his final season buried on the depth chart, but he appears to be behind his former coach. (It's worth noting Brown was originally suspended indefinitely under interim coach Mike Locksley in November 2015, and Durkin gave him a second chance -- in Brown's case a third chance -- to continue his playing career.)

There is alottttttt of Time a hard work blood sweat and tears that goes into the game of football and when you have coaches that understands that well shit things for your team gets really easy! You have to find the guys who want to play and the ones that don’t. — Wes (@wes_brown24) August 12, 2018

A coach who knows his 140 players typically knows he has 80 Who are babies who got everything they wanted and can comprehend hard work beats talents that don’t work hard! — Wes (@wes_brown24) August 12, 2018

then your left to deal with the other 60 but you find you have 40 guys that are soft meaning they need to be pushed and challenged to bring out their inner dog. Coaches who know their players know which ones they can talk shit with and get him laughing and on his game ! Correct? — Wes (@wes_brown24) August 12, 2018

Then now you get down to the short end of your 140 now your at 20 players. Those 20 are your dogs the ones that does the right things and challenges one another and accepts all the challenges and curve balls thrown at them and execute. Those are your true dogs! They don’t cry! — Wes (@wes_brown24) August 12, 2018

Current Players Lees, Funk, Aniebonam and former staffer Winters back Durkin

Totally agree, Coach Durkin is a great person and coach. A few anonymous statements do not speak for the entire program. https://t.co/Hjre9ldZpm — Wade Lees (@WL_88) August 11, 2018

My former roommate couldn’t have said it better. ?? https://t.co/OEzrjdj2be — Jake Funk (@jakefunk34) August 11, 2018

Don’t believe everything you read! There are some great people in the Maryland program. Yes they do coach hard but that’s everywhere you go. I am not speaking on that day when we lost a great Young man. But I can speak on the times when I was there. I stand with the #Terps ?? — Justin Winters (@CoachJustinAR) August 11, 2018

Current players Turner, Grey, Okonkwo, Davis, Eley, Bennett, Cobbs, Cornwell, Boone and Spence ready for the season

Sept 1st ?????? — DJ (@_DjTurner1) August 12, 2018

Through All That’s Going We Will Be Ready Game One !!



Storm Is Coming??#TerpNation — Derwin Gray (@Teamgrayy) August 12, 2018

September 1st. All that matters. ?? — c?ιgozιe? o?on?wo (@ChigTweets) August 12, 2018

Family goal still the same ?? — ACE (@Bigtime__ace) August 12, 2018

Not even half of us.. We all we got!???? pic.twitter.com/dcqhVixCJa — Kenny (@KennethBennett_) August 12, 2018

We will come out on top?????? — ?B.COBBS? (@cobbs_brian) August 11, 2018

Focused on ?? — Michael Cornwell (@mikecorn5) August 12, 2018

We’re a family and a family sticks together ???? #terps see you guys sept 1st — BOONE® (@_SavageRay) August 11, 2018

Maryland OL McKennie, also a high school teammate and close friend of McNair

Miss you bro @TheRealJMcNair give me some guidance from above ???????? — Ellis McKennie (@emck_cubed97) August 12, 2018

Maryland commits Blount, Land and Houston

Former Maryland OL Dill, who left Maryland on bad terms after Randy Edsall took over

I certainly hope that the reports about Maryland football aren’t true..... i also question a lot of what heather dinnich publishes. — RJ Dill (@RJDillOT) August 11, 2018

Former Maryland players Shrader, Sutton and Morgan, who all played under Durkin

Not sure what to say about recent reports of #MarylandFootball but I do want to say that under Coach Durkin and Coach Court, I believed in our team and the direction it was headed - which was to win. Success is hard and every person in that locker room on Saturday’s wanted to win — Lee Shrader (@LeeeMeAlone) August 11, 2018

Wouldn’t trade my two years with Coach DJ Durkin for anything, one of the more genuine coaches I have been around @TerpsFootball @espn @BaltSunSports — Danny Sutton (@DannySutton23) August 11, 2018

Lol come on man. I ain’t tryna be interviewed about it. I aint never had no problems their but i do understand everything that was said — ?Teldrick Morgan?™ (@TeldrickM) August 12, 2018

???? but nah bro I aint never had no problems there — ?Teldrick Morgan?™ (@TeldrickM) August 12, 2018

Brown isn't alone in questioning Maryland naming OC Matt Canada, new to the program as of this year, interim head coach over WR coach Chris Beatty, who spent the past three years under Durkin

Wasn’t coach Beaty the associate head coach and they gave the job to who? — Wes (@wes_brown24) August 12, 2018

Popular Maryland football alums chime in

I don’t know what happened but that doesn’t change the fact that this news is embarrassing. I like Durkin and the trainer Wes he was great when I was there. It’s still embarrassing https://t.co/Z6L1D0S1g1 — Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) August 12, 2018

When you see Maryland Football is trending and then you see why.... pic.twitter.com/l1moPxdb9z — FRAN¢ (@AJFrancis410) August 11, 2018

I mean every college team in America has coaches that do and say these things... no one cares tho. ????‍??@CoachGGattuso was the first coach I had that didn’t do this... https://t.co/5BMzp8UJoK — FRAN¢ (@AJFrancis410) August 11, 2018

Former Maryland DB Cam Chism, who played for Edsall and Ralph Friedgen

Can’t believe how the media is trying to destroy My school — Cameron Chism (@CamChism) August 11, 2018

My experiences at Maryland, in the DJ Durkin Era were all positive experiences. The coaches welcomed the alum and their families with open arms. The players all seemed to be having fun and comfortable. Don’t believe everything you read! — Cameron Chism (@CamChism) August 11, 2018

Notable: Former Maryland defensive lineman Roman Braglio, who served as team captain for a year under Durkin and went to McNair's high school, spoke out in support of Durkin in a Baltimore Sun article which was retweeted by Michael Dunn and Jermaine Carter, two Maryland players who played under Durkin who are now in the NFL.