Got a few inches of snow on the ground here in Annapolis and its still snowing while I'm sipping on my coffee and Bailey's as I type this. A lot that went down yesterday across the college football landscape that could affect Maryland, including the latest with Jalen Hurts and some Bama coaching staff news. So lets get started....
- On Jalen Hurts, it was a short visit in College Park. From what I have gathered, he arrived in Maryland yesterday afternoon, was at the Indiana hoops game, sitting behind the basket next to media with Locks and a few players like LoLo and AntMac. Hurts and Locks left the floor at halftime and watched some more of the game before taking off. From what I've heard, also sounds like Hurts had dinner with Locks and some current, former players.
The plan, as we were hearing it last night, was that Hurts would be in College Park through Saturday and then fly down to Miami for a visit there Sunday. Well, it turns out there was another visit in the works, as Hurts flew out of Maryland early Saturday morning, arriving in Norman, Oklahoma to meet with Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley. Oklahoma had a big recruiting weekend going on with all of the recruits at the basketball game Saturday. To the surprise of many, Riley was nowhere to be found, as it turns out he was meeting with Hurts. The plan is to still fly down to Miami, where former Bama QB coach Dan Enos was just hired as OC, for a visit on Sunday.
So where do things stand? This probably won't come as a shock to anyone here, but folks in Norman are confident he will choose the Sooners, folks in Miami seem pretty confident he's choosing the Canes and folks in College Park seem confident he's choosing the Terps.
The first, and most important thing to note, is that this appears to be Jalen Hurts' decision, and his decision alone. He has a very strong bond with Locksley, having referred to him as a father figure in the past. He is also obviously very familiar with him and his offense, as well as, having spent the past three years together. I think for anyone who has read my updates on Hurts over the past week or so, based on what I was hearing from some sources, there was overwhelming confidence that Hurts was going to end up at Maryland. Despite all the talk about TCU, Houston, Oklahoma, Miami, etc., sources remained pretty confident that Hurts would choose the Terps. While my personal confidence level is probably not where it was just a couple of days ago, a source Saturday afternoon said they are still hearing Maryland is in a very good spot, even after Enos to Miami and with things heating up at Oklahoma.
While sources have said throughout that Hurts has the best relationship with Locksley and their relationship would play a huge factor in his decision, some of those same sources said Hurts credits Enos most for his improvement as a passer this season. Obviously, with Enos and Tua at Bama, it really didn't matter what he thought of Enos, but with Enos now at Miami, it would appear they have a real shot now. As for Oklahoma, despite the confidence of folks in Norman, I'm just not sure it's a good fit and I've heard nothing from sources to make me think they are who he will choose. When it comes down to it, if I had to make a prediction right now, I am still leaning towards Maryland, although I am not as confident as I was just a couple of days ago. The Terps still appear not only very much in the mix, but might be the team to beat at this moment. With Hurts looking to enroll in the spring, a decision should come soon.
- On the search for an offensive coordinator, with Gattis now at Michigan, Tee Martin looked to be next in line as far as someone Locksley is interested in. Martin met with Locksley a few weeks back about a spot on Maryland's staff. That said, Martin has offers from numerous schools, including Maryland, Ga. Tech, Louisville, Tennessee and it sounds like he might also have an offer now from Alabama. Since meeting with Locksley, I have confirmed he has met with Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee multiple times, including in the past few days. I've also heard rumblings that Tee Martin has also met Saban recently. Saban has tried to hire Martin in the past and I'm told he holds him in high regards both as a former player and coach/recruiter. The thing about Martin is, Tennessee technically does not have a spot on their staff at the moment, and Saban just hired Steve Sarkisian to come back to T-town as Bama's offensive coordinator. To be clear, this is just speculation on my part, but with Sarkisian headed to Bama, Tee Martin would seem to make a lot of sense as Saban's next WR coach. That said, while Martin seems to be mulling over position coach offers at other schools, it is believed he could have an offer for offensive coordinator at Maryland.
So where does this leave Maryland and Mike Locksley? With Gattis, Tee Martin and possibly Butch Jones (will address this in a minute) all off the board, this brings us back to a name I heard rumored back in early December: Tennessee running backs coach Chris Weinke. At the time, I was told the only way Weinke would consider a move to Maryland would be if he were guaranteed the OC position. And at that time, it looked like there was next to no chance of that happening. Fast forward to now, and suddenly Weinke's name is near the top of the board. I talked to a source who believes Weinke and Locks have started talks back up about the possibility of him becoming Maryland's offensive coordinator. Weinke and Locksley have a connection, both working as offensive analysts for Saban during the 2016 season. Weinke could also have potential as a big-time recruiter, having spent several seasons as the head coach at IMG Academy. For now, I'm not sure I can say Weinke is the top option at this moment, but it appears he is now squarely in the mix.
Finally, where do things stand with Butch Jones? As I'm sure most of you know, I was the first to report Jones' interest in the head coaching job here as well as to report that he was not officially signed on with Maryland despite reports to the contrary. Well, with Dan Enos taking the Miami offensive coordinator position, my Butch Jones source has gone radio silent. My belief is that Jones is now possibly in line for an on-field position at Bama and if that is the case, there is a chance he does not join Locksley at Maryland. The wildcard in whether or not he ends up here could be Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long. He reportedly met with Saban over the weekend and could take a spot on Bama's staff, despite the fact that Steve Sarkisian has just been named offensive coordinator. Long works primarily with tight ends, so if he were to leave ND for Bama (doesn't make sense to me, but he's originally from Alabama), I'd still fully expect Jones to be coaching in College Park. I did hear from a different source Saturday that said they still believe Jones is headed to Maryland, even with all of the Bama offensive coaching defections. A whole lot to digest there, so any questions, fire away. And for those of you here in Maryland, enjoy the snow day.
- On Jalen Hurts, it was a short visit in College Park. From what I have gathered, he arrived in Maryland yesterday afternoon, was at the Indiana hoops game, sitting behind the basket next to media with Locks and a few players like LoLo and AntMac. Hurts and Locks left the floor at halftime and watched some more of the game before taking off. From what I've heard, also sounds like Hurts had dinner with Locks and some current, former players.
The plan, as we were hearing it last night, was that Hurts would be in College Park through Saturday and then fly down to Miami for a visit there Sunday. Well, it turns out there was another visit in the works, as Hurts flew out of Maryland early Saturday morning, arriving in Norman, Oklahoma to meet with Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley. Oklahoma had a big recruiting weekend going on with all of the recruits at the basketball game Saturday. To the surprise of many, Riley was nowhere to be found, as it turns out he was meeting with Hurts. The plan is to still fly down to Miami, where former Bama QB coach Dan Enos was just hired as OC, for a visit on Sunday.
So where do things stand? This probably won't come as a shock to anyone here, but folks in Norman are confident he will choose the Sooners, folks in Miami seem pretty confident he's choosing the Canes and folks in College Park seem confident he's choosing the Terps.
The first, and most important thing to note, is that this appears to be Jalen Hurts' decision, and his decision alone. He has a very strong bond with Locksley, having referred to him as a father figure in the past. He is also obviously very familiar with him and his offense, as well as, having spent the past three years together. I think for anyone who has read my updates on Hurts over the past week or so, based on what I was hearing from some sources, there was overwhelming confidence that Hurts was going to end up at Maryland. Despite all the talk about TCU, Houston, Oklahoma, Miami, etc., sources remained pretty confident that Hurts would choose the Terps. While my personal confidence level is probably not where it was just a couple of days ago, a source Saturday afternoon said they are still hearing Maryland is in a very good spot, even after Enos to Miami and with things heating up at Oklahoma.
While sources have said throughout that Hurts has the best relationship with Locksley and their relationship would play a huge factor in his decision, some of those same sources said Hurts credits Enos most for his improvement as a passer this season. Obviously, with Enos and Tua at Bama, it really didn't matter what he thought of Enos, but with Enos now at Miami, it would appear they have a real shot now. As for Oklahoma, despite the confidence of folks in Norman, I'm just not sure it's a good fit and I've heard nothing from sources to make me think they are who he will choose. When it comes down to it, if I had to make a prediction right now, I am still leaning towards Maryland, although I am not as confident as I was just a couple of days ago. The Terps still appear not only very much in the mix, but might be the team to beat at this moment. With Hurts looking to enroll in the spring, a decision should come soon.
- On the search for an offensive coordinator, with Gattis now at Michigan, Tee Martin looked to be next in line as far as someone Locksley is interested in. Martin met with Locksley a few weeks back about a spot on Maryland's staff. That said, Martin has offers from numerous schools, including Maryland, Ga. Tech, Louisville, Tennessee and it sounds like he might also have an offer now from Alabama. Since meeting with Locksley, I have confirmed he has met with Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee multiple times, including in the past few days. I've also heard rumblings that Tee Martin has also met Saban recently. Saban has tried to hire Martin in the past and I'm told he holds him in high regards both as a former player and coach/recruiter. The thing about Martin is, Tennessee technically does not have a spot on their staff at the moment, and Saban just hired Steve Sarkisian to come back to T-town as Bama's offensive coordinator. To be clear, this is just speculation on my part, but with Sarkisian headed to Bama, Tee Martin would seem to make a lot of sense as Saban's next WR coach. That said, while Martin seems to be mulling over position coach offers at other schools, it is believed he could have an offer for offensive coordinator at Maryland.
So where does this leave Maryland and Mike Locksley? With Gattis, Tee Martin and possibly Butch Jones (will address this in a minute) all off the board, this brings us back to a name I heard rumored back in early December: Tennessee running backs coach Chris Weinke. At the time, I was told the only way Weinke would consider a move to Maryland would be if he were guaranteed the OC position. And at that time, it looked like there was next to no chance of that happening. Fast forward to now, and suddenly Weinke's name is near the top of the board. I talked to a source who believes Weinke and Locks have started talks back up about the possibility of him becoming Maryland's offensive coordinator. Weinke and Locksley have a connection, both working as offensive analysts for Saban during the 2016 season. Weinke could also have potential as a big-time recruiter, having spent several seasons as the head coach at IMG Academy. For now, I'm not sure I can say Weinke is the top option at this moment, but it appears he is now squarely in the mix.
Finally, where do things stand with Butch Jones? As I'm sure most of you know, I was the first to report Jones' interest in the head coaching job here as well as to report that he was not officially signed on with Maryland despite reports to the contrary. Well, with Dan Enos taking the Miami offensive coordinator position, my Butch Jones source has gone radio silent. My belief is that Jones is now possibly in line for an on-field position at Bama and if that is the case, there is a chance he does not join Locksley at Maryland. The wildcard in whether or not he ends up here could be Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long. He reportedly met with Saban over the weekend and could take a spot on Bama's staff, despite the fact that Steve Sarkisian has just been named offensive coordinator. Long works primarily with tight ends, so if he were to leave ND for Bama (doesn't make sense to me, but he's originally from Alabama), I'd still fully expect Jones to be coaching in College Park. I did hear from a different source Saturday that said they still believe Jones is headed to Maryland, even with all of the Bama offensive coaching defections. A whole lot to digest there, so any questions, fire away. And for those of you here in Maryland, enjoy the snow day.
