Ralph Friedgen finds himself on a short leash

Jesse Palmer is one of the top college football analysts in the business, and we talked about Friedgen and the ACC. Palmer on Friedgen » There are a handful of major-program coaches on the hot seat as the 2010 season begins, and we know that Ralph is under pressure to win. They really need either Jamarr Robinson or Danny O’Brien to become the team’s leader and take advantage of a weaker Atlantic Division — where the clear favorite is FSU. Of course, it would not hurt to pull a couple great upsets, and beating Navy and West Virginia could be a great step forward to the program and to job security. If Maryland can get to six wins and a bowl, I really think that will be enough for Ralph to keep his job. – Washington Examiner

Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen on hot seat

Never before has Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen opened training camp amid a mood so ominous. When Friedgen meets reporters Tuesday – nine months removed from the first 10-loss season in school history – the implications will be clear: This season, his 10th as head coach at his alma mater, will be pivotal for the Friedgen era, and everyone in and around the program knows it. “I think our coaching staff feels it,” Friedgen said of the scrutiny. “I don’t think it is something we talk about daily, but they know the score. I kind of like it like that myself. I kind of enjoy that type of motivation. It is what it is.” Other division I-A head coaches – including those at Colorado, Michigan and Illinois – will face varying degrees of pressure this season, but few will encounter more than Friedgen, whose 31 victories in his first three seasons have been followed by just 35 in the past six years. Friedgen knows that last season, which included a disastrous 2-10 record, could have been his finale in College Park. – Washington Post

Ralph Friedgen knows his job is on the line

Ralph Friedgen runs an apparently clean program at Maryland, albeit one that hasn’t won much lately. He managed to keep his job at his alma mater despite a 2-10 record last fall, but it came with a caveat: Win seven games this season or lose your job. That ultimatum, though, came from former athletic director Debbie Yow, who hired Friedgen in 2000. Then Yow left last month to take a similar job at N.C. State. Besides looking for her successor, Maryland is also in the market for a new president after C.D. Mote announced he’s retiring on Aug. 31. Those two vacancies will probably need to be filled before Friedgen’s job status is even discussed. Talk about going without a huddle. Uncertainty is the only certainty in College Park these days. Or is it? “If I do well the next two years, I think I’ll be at Maryland,” Friedgen said yesterday. “If I don’t, I won’t.” –Fredricksburg.com

Ralph Friedgen a lame duck at Maryland

Debbie Yow’s imminent departure from the University of Maryland is tied directly to her relationship with, and the future of, the school’s most prominent head coaches… It means that Yow has left Ralph Friedgen without any kind of lifeline and that his future will be in the hands of a new president, a new athletic director and a football team coming off a 2-10 season, the worst in modern school history. It means that Friedgen — and coach-in-waiting James Franklin — are unlikely to be back in 2011 barring an unforseen turnaround. – Baltimore Sun

N.C. State To Hire Debbie Yow As AD

Multiple sources at Maryland and N.C. State told ACC Sports Journal and ACCSports.com publisher David Glenn that N.C. State will hire Debbie Yow to be its next athletic director. Yow has been the AD at Maryland since 1994. She is the sister of former N.C. State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow and a native of Gibsonville, N.C. In a Thursday evening text message to Glenn, Yow would confirm only that she will be in Raleigh on Friday to meet with the N.C. State search committee. Yow will replace Lee Fowler, who resigned as N.C. State’s AD in May and will officially leave the position on June 30. In terms of hiring for the two major revenue sports – a big point of emphasis for many fans when it comes to judging an AD – Yow has only dealt with football at Maryland (Gary Williams was already at College Park when she arrived). She hired both Ron Vanderlinden (1997-2000) and Ralph Friedgen (2000-Present). Yow also named James Franklin as the Terrapins’ coach-in-waiting when Friedgen eventually steps aside. – ACC Sports

Ralph Friedgen will return for 10th season at Maryland

Ralph Friedgen will return for a 10th season as Maryland’s football coach. Friedgen received the news that he was being retained in a phone call this morning from athletic director Deborah Yow. He planned to spend much of the day calling recruits and telling them he was returning. “Coach Friedgen and I are in complete agreement on the expectation to return the football program to its competitive stature,” Yow said in a statement. “He has assured the university and fans of his intentions to do whatever is necessary to become a top 25 program again. … He continues to have my full support.” – Baltimore Sun

Can Ralph Friedgen save his job?

Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen began discussions Sunday with athletic director Deborah Yow that will determine whether he returns for his 10th season at his alma mater. Those discussions were expected to continue as soon as today. Friedgen has indicated he might want to run a new offense - perhaps a variation of the option - that relies on a mobile quarterback. He said such a style wasn’t a good fit this season because senior quarterback Chris Turner is a pocket passer. – Baltimore Sun

Ralph Friedgen’s last game at Maryland?

After coaching his alma mater in 111 games, Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen is preparing to lead his team Saturday under most unfamiliar circumstances: The final game of his ninth season may be his last as head coach of the Terrapins. Never before has Friedgen faced questions about his job security during what has been the only head coaching job of his four-decade-long career. An emotional Friedgen choked up several times during his news conference this week, declined to address his future and said he would tell disgruntled fans that “we took our lumps this year, but we won’t be taking our lumps next year.” – Washington Post

Maryland may not be be able to buyout Ralph Friedgen

Two prominent officials in the state university system said Monday that the economy has placed the University of Maryland on sensitive ground as it decides whether to retain football coach Ralph Friedgen or buy out the remaining $4 million of his contract while others endure budget cuts and furloughs. Friedgen, 62, in his ninth season, is expected to meet with athletic director Deborah Yow as early as Sunday to discuss his job status. Yow has publicly expressed her disappointment with the season so far - the Terrapins are 2-9 (1-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference). Her options include retaining him for the final two years of his contract or buying it out. Maryland’s season, the worst in Friedgen’s tenure, ends Saturday at Byrd Stadium against Boston College. He has a 66-45 record that includes six bowl appearances but also four losing seasons in the past six years. A buyout of any sort - even in the form of a loan from the school’s endowment - would raise questions in the current economic climate, said former U.S. Rep. Tom McMillen, a member of the Board of Regents, which governs the University System of Maryland. – Baltimore Sun

Ralph Friedgen’s future uncertain

Mired in the worst of his nine seasons as Terrapin football head coach, Ralph Friedgen has declined to speak on his clouded future. Several reports indicate the Athletics Department may be looking into the possibility of buying out the two years and reportedly $4 million remaining of Friedgen’s contract. “I don’t want to get into that,” Friedgen said. “I want to keep the focus on Boston College right now.” Citing anonymous sources, The Washington Post reported Friedgen’s buyout would not be a financial issue Sunday. But Friedgen’s lawyer, Jack Reale, told The Post neither he nor his client have been in discussion with the Athletics Department about a buyout. Numerous Athletics Department officials declined to comment on the situation. Reale was not reached by phone yesterday. Athletics Director Debbie Yow has repeatedly stated throughout the season she will evaluate Friedgen and the team after the season, as is the process with all sports. She will not comment until then… This past offseason, Friedgen and Yow named offensive coordinator James Franklin as the program’s “coach-in-waiting,” set to succeed Friedgen as head coach. Franklin’s contract stipulates he will receive $1 million if he is not promoted by 2011. Still, at the time, Friedgen said he was uncertain of when he would retire. The possibility of being fired was not in the discussion. – The Diamondback

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