Just thought I'd share some thoughts on a few things now that the 2023 recruiting class is in the rear view.
First, on Harbor (I'll try to keep this short), I know folks keep insisting he went to the highest bidder, it was a money grab, etc. I just want to be clear, that from what I heard, I believe Oregon offered the biggest NIL deal. So it wasn't just a money thing. Did everything change once he signed with an agent/marketing group? Yes, absolutely. But in the end, what I believe truly happened was that it was between Maryland and Oregon (his father actually said this on record to the WaPo), with Oregon likely to win out and Maryland being where his mom wanted him. But essentially with Harbor seeming to waiver a bit, an agent did what a good agent does, which is used Oregon as leverage to get South Carolina to up the ante. Now did they beat Oregon's offer? Based on what I heard, no. But they were able to put together a number close enough that it made the agent happy, made his parents happy that he was closer to home and most importantly, made the kid happy. If you are a Maryland fan it sucks, and this could and likely will have ripple effects in the next cycle, but I just want to be clear while NIL absolutely played a factor, it wasn't the sole reason he's at South Carolina. At the end of the day, he isn't a refined product. He's going to need time to develop and who knows, he might never reach his full potential down in SC and could look to transfer back in a few years. So always best to just wish them well.
As for what's next? I expect Maryland to now wait until after the spring game to make any additional moves with the 2 or 3 remaining scholarships. The priority being an immediate impact corner. Beyond that, I think there's some flexibility, but corner remains a need.
With regards to the coaching search, things should start to ramp up here in the coming days/week. I can say that one name I mentioned, former Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, appears to be a non-starter. He's turned down multiple interview opportunities and seems to not want to uproot his family at the moment with his son one of the top QBs in the 2025 class. Another name I've heard mentioned is former Houston, Texas A&M and Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin. He's spent some time in College Park and around the program recently, but I'm not sure he's a viable candidate at the moment either. He's currently got a job as the head of the Houston Gamblers in the USFL. I've also heard that he could possibly be a backup option for a couple of schools down south if they had to move further down their lists.
So now it is on to the spring ball and the 2024 recruiting class.
First, on Harbor (I'll try to keep this short), I know folks keep insisting he went to the highest bidder, it was a money grab, etc. I just want to be clear, that from what I heard, I believe Oregon offered the biggest NIL deal. So it wasn't just a money thing. Did everything change once he signed with an agent/marketing group? Yes, absolutely. But in the end, what I believe truly happened was that it was between Maryland and Oregon (his father actually said this on record to the WaPo), with Oregon likely to win out and Maryland being where his mom wanted him. But essentially with Harbor seeming to waiver a bit, an agent did what a good agent does, which is used Oregon as leverage to get South Carolina to up the ante. Now did they beat Oregon's offer? Based on what I heard, no. But they were able to put together a number close enough that it made the agent happy, made his parents happy that he was closer to home and most importantly, made the kid happy. If you are a Maryland fan it sucks, and this could and likely will have ripple effects in the next cycle, but I just want to be clear while NIL absolutely played a factor, it wasn't the sole reason he's at South Carolina. At the end of the day, he isn't a refined product. He's going to need time to develop and who knows, he might never reach his full potential down in SC and could look to transfer back in a few years. So always best to just wish them well.
As for what's next? I expect Maryland to now wait until after the spring game to make any additional moves with the 2 or 3 remaining scholarships. The priority being an immediate impact corner. Beyond that, I think there's some flexibility, but corner remains a need.
With regards to the coaching search, things should start to ramp up here in the coming days/week. I can say that one name I mentioned, former Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, appears to be a non-starter. He's turned down multiple interview opportunities and seems to not want to uproot his family at the moment with his son one of the top QBs in the 2025 class. Another name I've heard mentioned is former Houston, Texas A&M and Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin. He's spent some time in College Park and around the program recently, but I'm not sure he's a viable candidate at the moment either. He's currently got a job as the head of the Houston Gamblers in the USFL. I've also heard that he could possibly be a backup option for a couple of schools down south if they had to move further down their lists.
So now it is on to the spring ball and the 2024 recruiting class.
