Maryland Football Scoop: Blue-chip recruit and the latest staff shuffling
I'm hearing there's a lot of movement taking place at Jones-Hill House lately, with coaches coming and going, staff shuffles and more news on the recruiting trail. Here's the latest.
I'm hearing there's a lot of movement taking place at Jones-Hill House lately, with coaches coming and going, staff shuffles and more news on the recruiting trail. Here's the latest.
Maryland got good news on the recruiting trail today when five-star offensive lineman Emmanuel Iheanacho named the Terps his No. 1 school. This comes as no surprise because the Georgetown Prep (Md.) phenom has been increasingly high on Maryland since last season and the commitment of Baltimore edge Zion Elee, the No. 2 recruit in the country, has boosted Maryland in his view. Getting two top five national recruits in one class would be far beyond anything Maryland's accomplished in one recruiting class rankings-wise, and they're at vital positions.
I'm still hearing Ted Monachino is a serious candidate to become the new defensive coordinator. The former UNC defensive line coach (more here from yesterday) recently interviewed and while some believe he'll end up being an analyst, I wouldn't be surprised if he slides into the coordinator slot vacated when Brian Williams walked.
I'm also expecting Locksley to promote Corey Liuget to the defensive line coach role Williams held. Liuget, who played defensive tackle for Illinois when Locksley was there, was a first-round pick of the Chargers in 2011 and played in the league for a decade. He spent last year on Locksley's staff with the title of "Defensive Assistant - Football Support Staff."
"We're able to hire what we call analysts now. Corey is one of those guys, he called me two years ago and said he wanted to maybe get into coaching. I said, 'OK, but I don't have no money for you here, so if you decide you want to come and show me that you really want to coach, I'll give you an opportunity. And you know what? He got his affairs in order," Locksley said last fall on his radio show.
"He has just been a phenomenal young coach, the job he's done with our young line. So, here's how it works for us. We got coach [Brian Williams, who] coaches the guys that travel during the week. Corey is on my field giving us a headache because he coaches the young linemen that are redshirting with some of the guys that play on the other field coming over. And he is coaching the effort. He is coaching the technique, the fundamentals."
Maryland needs more upgrades to its roster to feel good about next season, but those will wait until the spring transfer portal. I'm told they'll be most focused on three spots where they lost top players but haven't added much: defensive line, tight end and safety.
