The Maryland football program came into its second Big Ten season with high expectations, but has woefully underachieved. So who might replace Randy Edsall?
WASHINGTON — The Maryland football program came into its second Big Ten season with high expectations, but has woefully underachieved. After a 7-5 regular season last year, the Terps are just 2-4 to start 2015, including blowout losses to Bowling Green and West Virginia, and a home shutout at the hands of a resurgent Michigan squad.
When programs go south, the head coach usually takes the fall, and that’s exactly what happened to Randy Edsall, who was officially removed on Sunday. Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley will take over as interim head coach, but with a high profile, big five conference job like Maryland, there will be pressure to make a splashy hire come the end of the season.
In that vein, here are 10 potential future head coaches for the Terps, come more serious contenders than others. For the sake of not giving any weight to any one candidate over another, we’ll do this in alphabetical order. Flip through the slides to see who may fit the bill in College Park.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Dino Babers
If you’re a casual Terps fan, you may not know who Babers is. But if you watched Bowling Green storm into College Park and steamroll Maryland a few weeks ago, you know exactly who the Falcons’ coach is. After going 19-7 in two seasons as FCS Eastern Illinois (including 12-2 in his final year), Babers brought his high-flying offense to Bowling Green. The Falcons beat Indiana last year and have also beaten Purdue this year, hanging for three quarters at Tennessee and losing by a hair to Memphis.
Babers’ Falcons rank fourth in the nation in yards per game, not a surprise given his time at Baylor from 2008-11. If Maryland is looking for a coach to bring an exciting system, Babers could be the guy to do so.
(AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
AP Photo/Mark Zaleski
Matt Campbell
Campbell is well into his fifth consecutive winning season as head coach of Toledo, which put itself on the college football map by winning at Arkansas to open the season. Campbell is just 35, a former defensive lineman at Mount Union, and spent nine years as a coach and coordinator, but all within the MAC and at his alma mater. It’s hard to argue with the track record, but the lack of big school experience may be an obstacle.
(AP Photo/David Richard)
AP Photo/David Richard
Justin Fuente
If you haven’t heard of Fuente yet, you will soon, especially if Memphis topples Ole Miss this weekend in West Tennessee. Perhaps the hottest coaching name among non-power five teams, Fuente took over a program that had lost 21 times in 24 games the two prior seasons and three years later led the Tigers to a 10-3 campaign and a bowl victory.
Memphis is 5-0 and ranked 22nd in the Coaches Poll heading into this weekend. With a strong second half, the Tigers have a shot at securing a New Year’s Day bowl, which would only push Fuente’s stock that much higher.
(AP Photo/Al Behrman)
AP Photo/Al Behrman
Mike Locksley
An interim tag can always be dropped. Yes, Locksley is filling in coaching a team that has vastly underachieved and has little hope for anything other than playing spoiler this year. But the Washington-born Ballou High School grad brings a local tie and a reputation as a relentless recruiter. Locksley has had a shot at a top job out at New Mexico, but the Lobos went an abysmal 2-26 under his tenure. If he can have more success to close out this year, perhaps he can show he is capable of the X’s and O’s necessary to win.
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
Ed Orgeron
Don’t forget about Orgeron, who was last seen picking up the pieces and doing the most with them at USC after Lane Kiffin blew up the program, only to be passed over for the full time gig for … Steve Sarkesian. The Trojans went a respectable 6-2 under Orgeron as part of a 9-4 season that year. He’s currently an assistant at LSU, perhaps the favorite in the SEC. He’s got experience as a head coach at Ole Miss (2005-07) and more than 20 years of experience overall, mostly on the defensive side of the ball.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Chip Kelly
Kelly’s Eagles looked a lot better last week after dismantling the New Orleans Saints. But with a very winnable NFC East Philadelphia’s for the taking, another disappointing season coupled with loud whispers of clubhouse issues could spell the end of Kelly’s NFL tenure. He had so much success in college, though, particularly through the Nike-Oregon partnership, you’d have to think the Under Armour-Maryland military industrial complex might well feel like home.
(AP Photo/Michael Perez)
AP Photo/Michael Perez
Matt Rhule
Rhule inherited a Temple program in 2013 that he was a coach for from 2006-11 and struggled in his first season, going just 2-10. But the Owls improved to 6-6 the next season, and beat Penn State for the first time in an ice age this season. Temple hasn’t lost yet, and may well be 7-0 when they get their next national showcase in Philadelphia against Notre Dame on Halloween. If the Owls win that contest, Rhule’s name will fly up the charts for power five schools looking for a new leader.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Jim Schwartz
Yes, that Jim Schwartz, who coached the Lions for five seasons from 2009-13. The Halethorpe, Maryland native and Georgetown grad was a grad assistant in College Park right out of school back in 1989. Since then, he’s had 15 years of college and NFL experience, and is currently working in the NFL front office consulting with the officiating department. That means no messy contract to break or buy out.
(AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
AP Photo/Rick Osentoski
Steve Spurrier
The old ball coach announced Tuesday that he wasn’t actually retiring, just stepping down from his current tenure at South Carolina. All Spurrier has done in his college career is thrice revive programs to national prominence. He already knows the D.C. area well (from that other coaching stint), and brings as much clout as any coach in the nation. Is it really that crazy to think he might jump at the chance to start all over again?
(AP Photo/John Raoux)
AP Photo/John Raoux
Charlie Strong
Last week’s signature win over Oklahoma may have put some ice on Strong’s seat at Texas, but few jobs come with higher expectations than the one in Austin. The Longhorns are just 2-4 with Kansas State, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Baylor still on the schedule. If things don’t work out in the Lone Star state, Maryland isn’t a bad fallback option.
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
