Maryland Terrapins sign Randy Edsall to three-year extension

The Maryland Terrapins signed head man Randy Edsall to a three-year extension as he continues to build the program.

Tuesday was a busy day in the college football world and for Maryland head coach Randy Edsall, it meant a big payday. The Terrapins and Edsall agreed to a three-year extension worth up to $7.5 million that begins in January 2017.

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Only $350,000 of the contract is guaranteed, and Edsall will receive a raise of $71,000 during the final two years of his contract.

Edsall had a difficult task ahead of him after taking over for Ralph Friedgen in 2011, as he went 2-10 and 5-8 in his first two seasons as the head man. However, he began to find his groove in the 2014 campaign, his third season at the helm, finishing 4-4 in the conference and beating Penn State and Michigan on the road, ending the season with a 5-1 road record and a 7-6 mark on the season overall. The five road wins were the most for the Terrapins since 1984.

His 20-30 overall record, although not the best includes a 14-12 mark over the last two seasons and signifies a program that may be on the rise.

“Randy has made good strides in our first year in the Big Ten and our program is headed in the right direction,” athletic director Kevin Anderson told the Associated Press. “He has established a culture in which our students have made strong progress academically with outstanding graduation rates. We have made progress and we will look to continue to build upon what we have established.”

On the gridiron, many of Edsall’s players enjoyed accolades, including Brad Craddock who won the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s top kicker. He became the first Terrapin since 2002 to receive an individual honor.

This is a great move by Maryland to secure Edsall. Stay with what works. Too often, we see athletic departments who prematurely fire coaches that may be in charge of a rebuilding program, because they did not produce immediate results. Letting Edsall continue the rebuild and giving him security for at least five more years was a very smart move on the part of the program and should put them in a tremendous position for the future.

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