When Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen stepped to the podium after Saturday’s loss to Boston College, it was with a mix of disappointment (another winnable game had slipped away), relief (the season was over), excitement (many talented players return), and anxiety (Friedgen didn’t know if he would be back).
Tuesday morning, Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow removed the anxiety, informing Friedgen by phone from Bloomington, Ind. that he was still the Terps head coach.
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She said, “Are you ready to move on?” recalled Friedgen via teleconference Tuesday. “I said yeah and she said, ‘Let’s go to work.'”
After a 2-10 season, the worst in school history, there’s plenty of work to do. Friedgen, who was on his way to a recruiting trip Tuesday night, will also take an active role in recruiting fans.
“He has promised to help us convince season-ticket holders to keep their tickets,” Yow said Tuesday on the Mike Wise radio show. “We’ve lost 6,000 of them. We want them back and many others.”
As a 62-year-old lame-duck coach — with two years left on his contract and a designated successor in place in offensive coordinator James Franklin — recruiting players and fans will be difficult. Why would either commit to a program with such an uncertain future?
Friedgen will pitch the same ideas he used with Yow in meetings Sunday and Monday, which helped convince her that he was still the man for the job.
“I’ve got coach saying to me, ‘We took our lumps this year. But we will not be taking our lumps next year,'” said Yow. “[He said] ‘We’re gonna get this done. I just want to opportunity to right this ship.'”
Although he would not elaborate on Tuesday, Friedgen has hinted at changes to his offense and defense that would better utilize the talents of this players. Changes also could be made to Friedgen’s staff, but Tuesday he said he had “not had the chance to contemplate” them.
Staff members who could be targeted are Dave Sollazzo, recruiting coordinator the last five years, and Don Brown, the Terps’ first-year defensive coordinator, who fielded the most porous unit in the Atlantic Coast Conference (31.2 points per game).
There is reason to expect vast improvement from the 2010 Terps, who graduate just 14 seniors. Sophomore quarterback Jamarr Robinson showed great promise. This year’s most troublesome unit, the offensive line, loses only one starter and will be fortified by three strong redshirts. In addition, Friedgen’s most recent and current recruiting classes are strong.
“We played 10 true freshmen and 14 redshirt freshmen. They’re only going to better and bigger and faster and more mature,” said Friedgen. “We had a great bunch of guys. They’re getting better and they played hard all the way to the end. I’m very excited about the opportunity to come back and coach them because I know we’re going to be successful.”
