Ralph Friedgen, Mike Leach and the Latest on Maryland Football's Coaching Search

In the stands following Maryland's 51-20 throttling of East Carolina in the Military Bowl, it was clear—if a little disconcerting—that the Maryland football team of the present was dissolving into the past right before our very eyes.  Maryland's galvanizing and emotional victory yesterday provided a sharp fulcrum between the solid, albeit unsexy, program of today, and the tantalizing, albeit mysterious, program of tomorrow.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Danny O'Brien, redshirt sophomore wideout Kevin Dorsey, freshman linebacker David Mackall and redshirt freshman running back D.J. Adams (four TDs in the game) offered a glimpse of what the next few seasons could hold in College Park.

Meanwhile, though, senior Da’rel Scott—the game MVP with an even 200 yards and two scores—and junior Torrey Smith,  who declared for the NFL draft shortly after the game, were among those playing their final game in Terrapin red. 

But the most important swan song of the day, of course, was Ralph Friedgen’s.  True, he’s not quite the innocent martyr that many have tried to make him out to be, but if you caught his stirring locker room speech after the game—in which he told his players he thought of them all as sons, and urged them to call him if they ever needed help or wanted to talk—I bet things got pretty doggone dusty in your media room.  I know it did in mine.

While fans continue, rightfully so, to thank Fridge for reanimating a program that was teetering on the brink just a decade ago, life must go on for all sides.  After all, Friedgen is out of a job, and Maryland is down a head coach. 

For Friedgen, he has already said he wants to coach next season.  He even went so far as to wonder aloud whether his next job might bring him back to College Park.  Early indications are that this likely means a new home at Virginia Tech. 

Friedgen and Hokie head coach Frank Beamer are very close and even vacation together in the offseason. Virginia Tech already has a serviceable (if not terribly popular) offensive coordinator in Bryan Stinespring, but I’m sure something could be worked out.  When asked about the Hokies recently, Friedgen was coy, calling rumors of a move to Blacksburg premature without denying or rejecting them out of hand.

Another probably less likely scenario for Friedgen is Georgia Tech.  Just to be clear, there haven’t really been any concrete reports to indicate this, so please take this as the pure speculation that it is.  Still, there are some dots between Friedgen and The Other College Park that anyone can connect without expending a ton of effort. 

Friedgen was the offensive coordinator there before heading to Maryland; the Jackets won a national title in 1990 with Fridge on the staff, and in 1998 Joe Hamilton almost won the Heisman Trophy under Friedgen’s tutelage.  Ralph owns a summer home in Georgia.  Again, I’m not saying this is a distinct possibility, or even a possibility at all, but it is not hard to see the logic.

Friedgen also has pro pedigree.  He was the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers’ Super Bowl team in 1994, and has a reputation for getting the most out of his quarterbacks (he made a Super Bowl with Stan Humphries for Gosh’s sake).  He could end up on a Sunday sideline if he wants.

But for now, back to Saturday and this Terrapins team in transition. Any attempt to provide a perfect snapshot of the ongoing coaching search and family drama is a fool's errand. 

In a nutshell, though, not much has changed: Mike Leach still seems to be the guy.  Tea leaf readers got a boost yesterday when close Leach associate and BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae relinquished his post.  The move was not a shock given BYU’s disappointing 6-6 season, but it could be a signal that Anae is ready to climb back in the saddle with his old boss.  Will he?  No one knows. But it’s an interesting move.

Leach came to College Park today to interview for the job (an interview, by the way, that reportedly went very well), but the status of the search is still decidedly vague.  Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, SMU’s June Jones, Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez, Connecticut’s Randy Edsall, Houston’s Kevin Sumlin and New Mexico’s Mike Locksley all pop up regularly in various reports on the coaching search.  

Why these names are in the hat (then out, then in, then out, then in again) remains an open question.  Speculators have said that agents, fans or media are throwing the names out there for personal reasons. Others say these men are just window dressing designed to provide a sheen of due diligence to a search that initially seemed to have a built-in conclusion.  And of course, there is the wild theory that some of those guys might be legitimate candidates.

Time will tell.  The guess here is that Mike Leach does indeed get the Maryland job, and that an offer could come very soon.  Friedgen may take a year off to lick his wounds—and with a $2 million buyout in his pocket, he can certainly afford to—but I believe he will indeed coach again. If I were a betting man, I'd put money on seeing him in maroon and orange before too long.

(For this post and plenty more news, commentary and fun stuff on all things Terps, visit us over at Shell Games, or follow us on Twitter @Terpsblog.)