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By Torin Alexander
The Maryland Terrapins have impressed many with their recent play, starting 2-1. The Terps, coming off an abysmal 3-6 conference record, have showed potential as they head into the middle of the season. Though they are not ranked, it seems that Maryland has a bright future with their new roster. But what made this team become a fan favorite? What seems to have happened over night, has taken years to achieve. We’re going to take an inside look of why Maryland has become a dark horse in college football. New Coach During the season of the 2015-2016, the Terrapins had fired the previous coach, Randy Edsall, after having a 22-34 record over 5 seasons. Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse over the next 3 years. Maryland continued to have losing seasons with their current coach, D.J. Durkin. In his case, Durkin never really had anything to work with.He had to deal with many problems, like a below average team and complications with the coaching staff that was created by Edsall. Its understandable that he has overall record of 7-7 with a team that has been playing at such a low-level of football for the last 5 years. Recruitments In the spring of 2016, Maryland was able to acquire 4 star recruit Kasim Hill, who is the starting quarterback, and also Anthony Mcfarland who was the 2nd best recruit in Maryland, having multiple offers including Alabama. Right now, Mcfarland is a third string due to inexperience, but people can understand his potential heading into future. Kevin Contreras, a Junior at Glenelg, states, “I think Mcfarland will contribute nicely to the team, it's only a matter of time before he starts to show his true talent.” Clearly, many Maryland football fans are excited to see the new recruitment class bring a new era of Maryland football. With Hill and Mcfarland showcasing the possible future for Maryland, fans of the team are enthusiastic for the upcoming seasons. Because of the new recruitments and a new coaching staff the Maryland team has the ability to prove something this year. Whether it results in a bowl game or even an improvement from last years record, the Terps have acquired talents that have the ability to influence the entire team.This was proven in their first game against Texas who was ranked 23rd at the time. Many people were shellshocked by the win because the last time the team won a game against a ranked team was 7 years ago against the Russell Wilson led Wisconsin Badgers. Chris Patchen, a Senior, thinks “It's a fantastic win for Maryland. To beat a ranked team shows improvement and potential.” To conclude, the Maryland Terps are now seen as an incoming threat to the future college football. Though most teams improve by recruiting top notch players, Maryland is showing a new way of becoming an elite team. By building the roster than just continuing to recruit, the team can grow together than just being shadowed by one or two people. With recruitments that have the potential to be great and recurring players that improved over the offseason, it's safe to say that the Terps are finally in good hands. Comments are closed.
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