Birds of B'more
04-28-2010, 03:40 PM
Very informative (if a bit dated) piece I found in the Press Box online from March. Sounds like they hit the nail on the head with regard to why the Terps miss out on so many local guys. In short, the two I found most interesting where:
1) There is definitely a perception among some local coaches/players that the Terps are too slow when it comes to offering scholarships to some local players. They specifically mentioned Aaron Maybin and Joe Haden, who went #11 and #7 overall, respectively, in the last two NFL Drafts. Both had numerous offers from other big D-1 programs before MD offered, despite being right in their backyard.
2) The author says some have speculated that the MD coaches often put too much emphasis on guys who "fit the mold" (i.e. height/weight, speed) rather than kids who are simply good football players.
There's also several good quotes from local recruits that passed up the Terps. The premise seems to be that things are, and will continue to improve with James Franklin back in town. No doubt he is a respected recruiter and they did seem to land some decent players in the recent class despite coming off a disaster of a season. Still, time will tell. And while this was about football, it might not hurt for Gary to take some of the points to heart either.
http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=5996
1) There is definitely a perception among some local coaches/players that the Terps are too slow when it comes to offering scholarships to some local players. They specifically mentioned Aaron Maybin and Joe Haden, who went #11 and #7 overall, respectively, in the last two NFL Drafts. Both had numerous offers from other big D-1 programs before MD offered, despite being right in their backyard.
2) The author says some have speculated that the MD coaches often put too much emphasis on guys who "fit the mold" (i.e. height/weight, speed) rather than kids who are simply good football players.
There's also several good quotes from local recruits that passed up the Terps. The premise seems to be that things are, and will continue to improve with James Franklin back in town. No doubt he is a respected recruiter and they did seem to land some decent players in the recent class despite coming off a disaster of a season. Still, time will tell. And while this was about football, it might not hurt for Gary to take some of the points to heart either.
http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=5996