Chick Hernandez from Comcast Sportsnet stated the following via Twitter today:
@ChickatCSN “UCONN HC Randy Edsall is in Maryland. Meeting with some members of search committee. Barring major setback, look for him to be New HC at Maryland.”
If this holds-up, it is just the latest surprise in a surprising process.
Less than a month ago, the new Athletic Director (Kevin Anderson) tells the press that Coach Friedgen had done enough to return for the final year of his contract. Subsequent to that, Friedgen was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year for the second time.
By record alone, Maryland should have gone to the 3rd or 4th best bowl with an ACC tie-in. The fact that they fell all the way to the Military Bowl in-part because the other bowls doubted in the ability of the Maryland fan-base to travel; obviously made Maryland’s Athletic Department give another look at retaining Friedgen. When the Offensive Coordinator (and Head Coach in Waiting) James Franklin departed for the Head Coaching position at Vanderbilt; Anderson has stated this is what led to the decision to not retain Friedgen.
If you are the AD at Maryland and you are looking at unfilled luxury-boxes at Byrd Stadium, declining ticket sales, and you are not interested in extending Friedgen; you can understand Anderson’s decision to make a change.
However, if the idea is to obtain a HC which will breath new life into the program and sell seats – someone is going to explain to me why Coach Edsall would be the choice over Coach Leach. I do not know if Leach is a better Coach than Edsall. What I do know, is that Leach has been the overwhelming favorite of Terrapin fans on all of the Maryland message boards, and radio shows. If a major part of the criteria of this hire is bring in the guy that will sell the most tickets; would it not make sense to hire the guy your fanbase is screaming for?
If Edsall is hired, and the retort from the Athletic Department is that Coach Edsall is the best person to lead the program – why is he a better choice to do so, vs. having extended Friedgen for another 2-3 years? (The reply I would expect to hear is that Edsall can be a long-term answer, longer than 2-3 years. While possible, Edsall is leaving a program he took to a BCS Game. Is MD a long-term option for him or another stepping-stone?)
What is interesting to me is that it was reported everywhere that Leach visited the Maryland campus and facilities during the Military Bowl. That visit (and tour) would not have occurred if Maryland was not looking at him as a legitimate candidate. Did Leach determine he did want to be at College Park?
As I said, I have reason to believe that Leach is better than Edsall or conversely that Edsall is better than Leach. Leach’s offense is obviously innovative and he showed he could produce in the Big 12. Edsall built the UConn program from scratch to a BCS program and has already recruited the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
I see some Terp fans are pointing to blowout UConn suffered to Oklahoma last-night as reason not to hire him. I will say that is unfair. The fact that the Huskies did not belong on the same-field with the Sooners is less important than what Edsall has achieved at UConn. He took over the Huskies for the ’99 season when they were still a 1AA team in the Atlantic 10 Conference. After four seasons as a 1A Independent, the Huskies joined the Big East in 2004. Edsall and UConn has been competitive annually, going to 5 bowls in 7 years and winning 3.
Edsall is a quality Coach, and if hired I like that he is already familiar with recruiting areas MD will want to pull from. I just question how Edsall is going to make an immediate financial difference to the program, and why Anderson would ignore the obvious will of his fan-base.
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.