Maryland Football Should've Retained Randy Edsall Until Season's End

Maryland head coach Randy Edsall was fired by the university on Sunday following a 2-4 start to the campaign and two blowout losses to begin the conference schedule.

Edsall was 22-34 in four-plus seasons with the program and 9-10 since joining the Big Ten last season. The team had a pretty good inaugural season in the conference, finishing the regular season 7-5, though they ended the season with a bad loss to Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl.

To be clear, my opinion on this matter isn’t based on the idea that Edsall deserves another year with the Terps. It’s time for a change and both parties should move in separate directions, but my view is that it isn’t in the best interest of anyone involved to make an abrupt change mid-season unless, of course, there are circumstances other than on-the-field production.

Edsall is the third head coach in the Big Ten this season to either be fired or spend time away from the program. The other two, Illinois‘ Tim Beckman and Rutgers‘ Kyle Flood, were reprimanded for reasons other than wins and losses. Beckman was fired prior to the opener due to allegations that he pressured or forced players to play injured, while Flood was suspended because of an investigation into whether he spoke to a player’s instructor about his academic standing.

Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley will take over for the remainder of the season, though I don’t think many people expect him to hold the job beyond 2015. Under Armour founder and University of Maryland alum, Kevin Plank, is expected to contribute to the search for a new head coach.

In terms of recruiting, there’s nothing to gain by making this move. A permanent replacement won’t be named until December at the earliest which means you can’t get a head start in that area. In terms of the current team, these players committed to Edsall. Losing your leader mid-season, especially in collegiate athletics, will usually create a negative situation rather than improving the culture and environment.

My issue isn’t with the firing of Edsall, but the timing. Maryland won’t be playing in a bowl game this season, but it still could’ve been a memorable season for the seniors for a lot of different reasons. I don’t expect much to change for the rest of the season, leaving the Terps at the bottom of the Big Ten at season’s end.

Jason Shawley is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering Big Ten Football. Follow him on Twitter @jshawls.