What you need to know about Randy Edsall being fired
Boosters would have cut a $155 million project if he stayed head coach
University of Maryland officially fired head coach Randy Edsall on Sunday, Oct. 11 after days of speculation.
Edsall was fired following Maryland’s 49-28 loss at No. 1 Ohio State. With the loss, the Terps fell to 2-4 overall (0-2 Big Ten). Maryland was also on the ugly end of lopsided blowout at West Virginia, losing the “Border Battle” 45-6.
“This was a difficult decision, but ultimately this is the best course of action for our football program moving forward,” said Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson in a statement.
Maryland only accumulated a 22-34 record during Edsall’s tenure, including a 10-24-conference record in both the ACC and Big Ten. The 2014 season was arguably Edsall’s best while at Maryland (7-6, 4-4) in the Terps’ inaugural season in the Big Ten. Edsall also failed to win a bowl game during his tenure.
In the summer, Edsall signed a three-year contract extension through 2019, worth roughly $7.5 million.
The Washington Post reported because of his abrupt firing, Maryland will pay Edsall a $2.6 million buyout, which includes the $2.1 million remaining from his original contract plus an additional $500,000 that came from his extension.
Maryland also recently came out with news they will be renovating Cole Field House and turning the once-renown basketball arena into a state-of-the-art football practice facility.
Edsall’s poor performance on the sidelines provided doubt and conflict to several boosters who are donating to the $155 million project. The boosters threatened to cancel season tickets and even withhold donations to the program if Edsall remained as head coach.
“Honestly, it’s about time,” junior Kinesiology major Nonso Ntosi told The Tab, “He wasn’t a good coach and it wasn’t a good hire in the first place.”
Edsall was hired at Maryland in 2011 after coaching at Connecticut for 12 seasons, accumulating a 74-70 record. In his final year at UCONN, the Huskies went 8-5, including a BCS Fiesta Bowl appearance.
Edsall was also 0-12 versus ranked opponents at Maryland, with only two of those games ending with a single-digit deficit.
Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley has served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He made his 2015-coaching debut on Oct. 24 against Penn State at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Terps lost to the border rival-Nittany Lions 31-30.
“I can tell you that we are all committed to finishing the job that we started six weeks ago,” Locksley said in an interview.
Locksley has previously held a head coaching position at New Mexico, going 2-26 in a little over two seasons before getting fired.
Locksley has been in College Park since 2012, and was previously on the staff from 1997-2002.
The Terrapins’ (2-5, 0-3) remaining schedule includes No. 6 Michigan State, Indiana, and Rutgers.
With the exception of Rutgers (3-4, 1-3), each of Maryland’s remaining opponents has a record greater than .500.