Who Should Be Maryland’s Next Head Coach?

After much discussion and speculation locally, Randy Edsall’s tenure as Head Coach of the University of Maryland came to an official end Sunday afternoon.

In the interim, Offensive Coordinator Mike Locksley takes over the program. The larger question becomes who should lead the Terrapins long-term?

Baltimore Sports and Life (BSL) has reached out to several National College Football Analysts for their thoughts.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

BSL: Maryland has fired HC Randy Edsall.

Despite how horrific this season has turned out for the Terrapins, there is some optimism for the program going forward. The facilities are getting a major upgrade with the new Cole Field House. There is some young talent on the roster, and a quality Class of 2016 verbals. (Currently. Obviously those recruits are not official, and some will understandably be reconsidering their options with a Coaching change.) It’s not hard to envision a 2017 starting lineup which features good skill position talent, and quality on both lines.

It is my hope that some names such as Scott Frost (Oregon, OC), John Henson (Missouri, OC), Jason Jones (Ole Miss, DC), Kirby Smart (Alabama, DC), Brent Venables (Clemson, DC), Phillip Montgomery (Tulsa, HC), Jeff Tedford (BC Lions, HC), and P.J. Fleck (Western Michigan, HC) will be pursued by Maryland’s leadership.

Who among that group do you think would be the best fit? Who not named, do you think MD needs to consider?

Stewart Mandel / FOX Sports: I think they should start out aiming higher than any of those — prove this is a big time job by going out and getting an established head coach — or  look at rising stars like Bowling Green’s Dino Babers, Temple’s Matt Rhule, and Fleck.

Tom Luginbill / ESPN: I like the Jeff Tedford path as it would give proven stability and long term history of success, particularly from an offensive perspective and quarterback development standpoint. I don’t know if right now is the time to hire a guy with limited or no head coaching experience.

Steven Lassan / Athlon Sports: I think Maryland is a job with potential to grow in terms of appeal over the next 10-15 years. With the facility improvements, booster backing and the continued assimilation into the Big Ten, this program has potential. I think you will see Maryland target a coach with a background on offense and one that brings an exciting style of play to College Park. On the names mentioned, I think Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck makes the most sense. He’s an outstanding recruiter, full of energy to ignite the fanbase and has significantly improved the Broncos in just three seasons at the helm. If Fleck isn’t the pick, I think Athletic Director Kevin Anderson needs to consider Bowling Green’s Dino Babers or Toledo’s Matt Campbell. Houston’s Tom Herman and Memphis’ Justin Fuente should be on the list, but I think Babers or Fleck are the most realistic options. With a division that features Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State, Maryland needs to get this hire right and not fall too far behind in the Big Ten’s East Division.

Chris Landry / Landry Football: To make a move like they have, they are expected to fish in deep waters and offer up a lot of money to make the job more attractive.  While some of these names are solid, they feel they can reach higher.  A guy like Kirby Smart would not consider the job and a couple of more on your list would not as well but most would.

Chip Patterson / CBS Sports: Maryland has every reason to consider itself a major player in the college coaching carousel this offseason. With support from Under Armour and the Big Ten, any up-and-coming coach has the tools — not to mention a pretty solid recruiting base — to make some noise. Pulling from the MAC is a very B1G-styled move, but Maryland could do a lot worse than Toledo’s Matt Campbell, who will hear from several schools this offseason. P.J. Fleck and Dino Babers both have a lot to like, but I think Campbell is the MAC coach most ready to make the jump.

I think Maryland would be silly to ignore Justin Fuente at Memphis, too. I don’t know about the fit but Fuente has done a fantastic job at Memphis and could be coming off contention for a New Years Six bid, depending on how the Tigers’ season finishes.

If you want to look to coordinators, I don’t think Maryland should need to look much farther than the Big Ten East. Ohio State DC Luke Fickell has a little bit of head coaching experience as an interim and Michigan’s D.J. Durkin has followed a stellar showing at Florida with a great start at Michigan, helping lead one of the best defenses in the country.

Then there’s Leach. If Mike Leach is willing to talk, I think you have that conversation.

Brandon Pertner / Brandon Pertner’s College Football Preview: I think PJ Fleck would be the best fit of those named especially if Maryland wants to compete in the Big Ten East which could be college football’s best division when it’s all said and done. Fleck while young, learned under one of the best coaches in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region in the last 20 years in Greg Schiano. He has head coaching experience and is known as the best recruiter in the MAC already.

While Maryland has some money behind them with Under Armour, I’m still not sold on it being a Top 25 job in the country (especially considering they’re up against 4 of the Top 30 programs in the country in their own division). Fleck in my opinion would be their ceiling. I definitely think they need to go younger so a guy like Jeff Tedford to me wouldn’t be a solid fit. I also think they need to go on the offensive side so Arizona State OC Mike Norvell, UCLA OC Noel Mazzone, TCU co-OC’s Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meachem, Oklahoma OC Lincoln Riley would be candidates. Would be interesting to see if they reached out to Temple head coach Matt Rhule and Toledo head coach Matt Campbell is a rising star as well along with Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers and WKU head coach Jeff Brohm.