Sources say that Randy Edsall has been hired to become the next head football coach at the University of Maryland. After coaching his UConn team in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma, Edsall and his family did not return to Connecticut, but instead were flown to the University of Maryland and are expected to meet with Terrapin school officials later today. This comes as somewhat of a surprise considering most people close to the university thought former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach would take over for Ralph Friedgen. But character issues may have been the deciding factor in hiring Edsall over Leach. And in that respect, Edsall and Leach are complete opposites. Edsall is not only a great football coach, taking UConn from the depths of the FBS in 2002 to a league championship and a BCS bowl this season, he also has great character and seems to be very passionate about his players.
I’m sure there were a lot of Terps’ fans out there who were looking forward to Leach bringing in his explosive offensive tactics to College Park, but it looks as if the university is looking for more of a guy that isn’t going to bring negative publicity to the school. Edsall is no slouch, though, and has had a lot of success in turning UConn’s football program around. With Edsall being the clear front-runner for the job, who would you rather see coaching the Terps next season?
This weekend went from good to bad pretty quickly. Caps win was good. Ravens poor performance, not good. This news, horrible. Hiring Edsall, as opposed to Leach, is going to alienate a good portion of the paying MD fan base. Edsall is a combined 22-26 in Big East games. He does not seem to be a step up from Fridge. Keep in mind that part of the reason MD fans were ok with firing the ACC Coach of the Year was the potential of getting an upgrade like Leach.
Some rumors are flying that higher ups in the MD administration, outside of the AD's office, squashed the Leach hire. Bad day for MD sports and it has got to be frustrating for Kevin Anderson not being able to hire the guy he wanted, if the rumors are true.
Gotta agree, JP. Caps win – GREAT! Ravens win – They are who I thought they were, to paraphrase. Edsall? Interesting that they hire a guy whose name is reminiscent of one of the biggest flops in history – the Edsel. Look, admittedly I don't follow MD football, but always liked The Fridge as an alum, a likable lug, and a guy who took them to Bowl games on a fairly consistent basis.
I'm a New York Ranger fan so its bad for me, Edsall? Never heard of him so I can somment, Ravens? UH OH!
The Fridge firing is so similar to the Davie Johnson firing…I hope the results are different for the Terps than the Birds. The Fridge might have not been a poster boy and wasn't fancy, but he knew how to win. Enjoy you $2 mil and time on your boat…you earned it BIG guy.
Gutless. Edsall over Leach? Mediocrity over excellence? Empty seats over a packed stadium? Big East experience over Big 12 experience? Wait until Leach has his day in court and the ESPN-tainted/Adam James-prima donna truth comes out. Thank god for Maryland basketball. At least there will be something wonderful to tune in and watch from the great state of Maryland. For a few weeks, I actually thought there would be a reason to get the Dish Network season pass for ACC football.