Military Bowl: 10 Ways Mike Leach Can Turn Maryland into an ACC Powerhouse
Military Bowl is tomorrow, and Maryland will play its last game under Ralph Friedgen before looking for a new head coach.
The top candidate has been rumored to be Mike Leach, the former coach at Texas Tech, and if he does take the job, he will have some work to do. The Terrapins want to be an ACC force, and here are 10 ways he can do that.
Any thoughts? Make sure to leave them in the comments.
No. 10: Don't Burn Bridges
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One thing that helped lead to Mike Leach's demise at Texas Tech was his attitude.
He rubbed a lot of people at the school the wrong way, and by the end of his tenure, Texas Tech was looking for any way to possibly get rid of a guy who helped make the Red Raiders relevant again in the national picture.
They found it and took advantage of it, and he can't repeat his same mistakes at Maryland if he gets the job.
No. 9: Win Early
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With Maryland having a successful season, Mike Leach will have to come in and continue the success early if he gets the job.
Leach needs to continue to build momentum and needs to move forward, and that will create buzz around the program and have people talking about Maryland. That will help in getting some recruits and will improve the team in the long run.
Coming in and stinking up the joint will just make things an uphill climb.
No. 8: Importance of Education
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One thing that Mike Leach always did at Texas Tech was graduate his players.
He had one of the highest graduation rates in the Big 12 when he was there, and if he can do the same thing at Maryland, that education is something he can pitch to families when he hits the recruiting trail. Mothers love to hear about how their kid can get to the next level and have a degree in his back pocket.
There's no reason to abandon that culture if he heads to Maryland.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 7: Use the Texas Pipeline
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One thing Mike Leach knows when it comes to recruiting is the Texas area.
Needless to say, that's not something Maryland's tapping into at the moment, and if Leach becomes the head man there, I don't see why he can't try to get some of the same players he got at Texas Tech. Sure, a lot of them go to Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, but there are still players to be had there.
I think that could be a major source of opportunity for the Terrapins.
No. 6: Take Advantage of Lack of Recruting Competition
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There isn't really much local recruiting competition for Maryland.
Sure, schools like Notre Dame and Penn State hit the area hard, but Maryland is the local school. The Terrapins should be hitting that area hard and getting the best talent, so what Mike Leach has to do if he's the next head coach is get someone who knows the area to help him recruit.
Maryland needs to start getting the best local talent on a consistent basis.
No. 5: Work Torrey Smith into High-Powered Offense
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Torrey Smith had a monster year for Maryland this past season and could be a beast with Mike Leach at the helm.
Smith led the ACC in touchdown grabs and would be the go-to guy in his senior year for Leach and that high-powered offense he runs. He could be a huge threat in the offense, and it could boost his production.
I'd love to see what he could do in Leach's system.
No. 4: Continue to Mold Danny O'Brien
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Danny O'Brien had a great season for Maryland, and he's only a freshman.
There's a ton of potential in O'Brien, and if Leach can turn Tim Couch into a first overall draft choice, imagine what he can do with the young quarterback. O'Brien said he plans to stay and graduate from Maryland, and that's great news for Leach if he's the next coach.
He'd be the centerpiece of it all for Leach.
No. 3: Improve the Running Game
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If you take a look at the Maryland offense, one thing you see as a trouble spot is the running game.
The Terrapins simply struggle to run the ball, and while Mike Leach isn't exactly known as being dedicated to the run, there's no reason that he can't improve the run game to the point where you at least have to game-plan for it.
Right now, you're not worried about Maryland beating you on the ground.
No. 2: Get a Good Defensive Coordinator
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One thing Mike Leach never had at Texas Tech was a good defensive coordinator.
The Red Raiders didn't really push to get the best and the brightest in the position, so Leach had to settle for what was left. At Maryland, there's a push to get results, and I think Leach will get a coordinator who can give him the defense he never had.
If he gets that, watch out.
No. 1: Lemonade Out of Lemons
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Mike Leach was always good at finding the players nobody wanted and turning them into football players.
Guys like Wes Welker and Michael Crabtree thrived under Leach, and if he does the same at Maryland, he's going to be getting talent that other teams in the ACC totally overlooked and will be kicking themselves for missing out on.
That might be Leach's biggest asset as a coach and one that shouldn't be overlooked.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
