ACC Coach of the Year Fired To Make room For Mike Leach

[UNHWildCats]

Mike Leach is going to be the next head coach at Maryland, a key Big 12 source told Orangebloods.com.

The Mad Pirate resurfaces.

When Maryland coach-in-waiting James Franklin took the Vanderbilt job last week, it apparently spelled the end for current Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen in the mind of new Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson, my source said.

Maryland (8-4) faces East Carolina (6-6) on Dec. 29 in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. And after going 2-10 in 2009, Friedgen was named the ACC Coach of the Year by the 61-member Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association for this season's turnaround.

But when Maryland AD Kevin Anderson was asked about Friedgen's future last week, he told reporters, "Next week, everyone will understand where we're going."

Where Maryland is going is on a carpet ride with Mike Leach, according to my source. Friedgen, who is 74-49 in 10 seasons at Maryland with seven bowl berths, is expected to take a buyout to step down, the source said.

Hold on tight Terps' fans.

Leach will no longer be in a remote media market. He'll be in the Washington, D.C., area.

At Texas Tech, he didn't allow more than two players to talk to the media on a weekly basis. And even though Leach was very accessible to the media, his players weren't. Some of them came to resent it.

Linebacker Marlon Williams, a key leader on defense in 2009, even blasted Leach on Twitter for being late to meetings.

Being closer to a major media market, Leach's approach may have to change. It's doubtful, because Leach does things his way. But we'll see.

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[nwFL Griz]

Yeah, and orangebloods.com was sooooo reliable during the conference expansion stuff this summer, too.

That being said, maybe this happens, maybe it doesn't. Either way I think Maryland will be fine. Friedgen or Leach, both excellent coaches.

[MrTitleist]

orangebloods.com was the most reliable site on the 'net for the conference shuffling.. they couldn't help that plans changed as fast as they were publishing. BTW, Friedgen is fired.

[Skjellyfetti]

orangebloods.com was the most reliable site on the 'net for the conference shuffling.. they couldn't help that plans changed as fast as they were publishing.

Plans never changed. The Big Ten was never going to expand to 16. No conferences had any plans to. If "plans" were really changing as fast as orangebloods.com could publish... they were never plans to begin with and shouldn't have been published as such.

[nwFL Griz]

orangebloods.com was the most reliable site on the 'net for the conference shuffling.. they couldn't help that plans changed as fast as they were publishing. BTW, Friedgen is fired.

Can't comment about plans changing and how reliable orangebloods.com was in relation to that (as I wasn't in either the Pac-10, U Texas, or Big 12 inner circle). All I can say is, ob.com claimed pac-16 a done deal, along with other things...and not a single thing they said turned out to be right.

So, around Jan 4 when Leach is not announced as the head coach....what then?

[MrTitleist]

Pac16 would have been a done deal had Texas not decided to keep the Big12 together instead. The Big12 gave Texas whatever they wanted just to keep the conference together, and now why it still exists.

[nwFL Griz]

Uh-oh...I was off by a couple days, but surprise...Leach not head coach at Maryland.

Maryland has hired Randy Edsall. (Should have hired Leach, IMO...this hire is nothing better than an even trade, Friedgen for Edsall.)

[MrTitleist]

Maryland traded down, IMO.

[nwFL Griz]

Maryland traded down, IMO.

I think an even trade. But could prove to be down.

[youngterrier]

I really can't tell because Edsall coached at Uconn.....

[BlueHen86]

I think Edsall to Maryland is a lose-lose. Edsall did a great job at UConn, primarily because he helped to build a program. Edsall built up a lot of equity at UConn. Maryland will want more than just 8-4 finishes.

Also, I'm not convinced that moving from the Big East to the ACC is a an upgrade. I don't get this move at all, for either party.

[Skjellyfetti]

orangebloods.com was the most reliable site on the 'net for the conference shuffling.. they couldn't help that plans changed as fast as they were publishing.

I guess plans changed as fast as they were publishing again.

[MrTitleist]

*shrugs* Who'd have guessed last night that Randy Edsall would leave Phoenix and fly straight to Maryland?

[BlueHen86]

*shrugs* Who'd have guessed last night that Randy Edsall would leave Phoenix and fly straight to Maryland?

The timing is interesting. Hard for me to believe that this wasn't in the works prior to last night's game.

[MrTitleist]

Undoubtedly.