After a spate of reports Sunday afternoon pointing to Randy Edsall as the successor to Ralph Friedgen, Maryland has officially confirmed the obvious.
Via a press release, the school announced that the now-former UConn head coach has been named to the same job with the Terps.
A press conference has been scheduled for 2 p.m. ET Monday to introduce Edsall.
Edsall, the reigning Big East Coach of the Year, will replace Friedgen, the reigning ACC Coach of the Year. In 12 years at UConn, Edsall compiled a 74-70 record. In 10 years at Maryland, Friedgen compiled a 75-50 record.
For a school that maintained that part of the reason for ridding themselves of Friedgen was due to the fact that attendance and fan interest had dwindled, the hiring of a younger, skinnier version of Friedgen is at best a suspect move. At worst, it’s a clear signal that athletic director Kevin Anderson is in way over his head, even more so than he was at Army when it came to football hires.
Anderson embarrassed a former alum and loyal Terp soldier who completely turned around a moribund football program for... this hire?
Anderson should be ashamed of how he treated Friedgen. And the Terrapin faithful should be besides themselves for how this botched and bungled situation has transpired.
It may prove to be the right hire -- or the same hire, based on track records -- but it was a very crappy way to go about it.