It seems like a done deal that the Ralph Friedgen era is over at Maryland. The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Friedgen has been told he cannot coach the team in 2011, though he has not agreed to retire.
Ralph Friedgen Told He Cannot Coach Maryland; Mike Leach To Succeed Him?
This sets the stage for a prolonged battle over Friedgen’s contract, if nothing else. But there are no indications at this point that Friedgen will be in any way involved with the Terrapins past Maryland’s date with East Carolina in the Military Bowl, as Maryland opts for a new regime in the long term rather than one more year of Freidgen, whose contract runs through 2011.
Mike Leach, the former Texas Tech head coach, appears to be the favorite to replace Friedgen in College Park. Leach has a relationship with influential Maryland booster Kevin Plank through Under Armour, SB Nation DC reports, and there is also already a report that Leach has reached out to Maryland recruits. (That’s not an NCAA violation, somehow.)
Friedgen was named this year’s ACC Coach of the Year and compiled a 74-50 record at Maryland. Yet if the school can swap him for Leach, that will be seen as a major upgrade for the program, which hasn’t won an ACC title since 2001, Friedgen’s first season.
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