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Why Scott Frost is the guy that can lead Maryland to the promised land
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Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson made it perfectly clear why he fired Randy Edsall.
He was boring.
With all due respect to the former Maryland coach, nothing excited boosters, fans or recruits about Edsall or the product he was putting on the field.
As a result, attendance suffered. The Terps have the third biggest drop in attendance among Power Five teams. That can’t happen, especially for a school in the beginning of its birth with Under Armour.
Maryland wants to be to Under Armour what Oregon was to Nike. Anderson did not make this move midseason to go out and hire some no-name, unproven coordinator without any marketability.
Anderson wants an offensive-minded, spread-it-out, modern coach to inject some life into his program. Anderson wants somebody that understands how to maximize the potential in Maryland’s relationship with Under Armour. Anderson wants a young, energetic guy that can recruit skill players from anywhere.
Anderson should want Scott Frost.
The 40-year-old Oregon offensive coordinator is the perfect fit to lead the Terps from dwindling Power-Five team to the next East Coast contender.
Why?
Well, the time is right for Frost. The national-championship winning Nebraska quarterback was overlooked by his alma mater last year in favor of Mike Riley. How’s that working out? He wants to be a head coach, and he’s proven to be worthy of an attractive B1G job.
Maryland? Attractive?
Yes. The Terps are getting a massive overhaul in facilities thanks in large part to a $25 million gift from Under Armour founder and Maryland grad Kevin Plank. In its second season in the B1G, the athletic department’s revenue has never been greater. And sad as it may be, crazy uniform combinations matter.
You know who might be familiar with all of those things? Frost.
Anderson watched Maryland shuffle between three sub-par quarterbacks and not develop any consistency at the skill positions. Frost, on the other hand, knows how to recruit and maximize offensive potential.
He was the guy behind the scenes of Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy season that ended in the national title game. And despite all the issues the Ducks have had this season, they still rank ninth in the country in scoring.
He’s even been a defensive coordinator before. It’s rare to see somebody his age with proven experience coaching both sides of the ball.
The guy does his job, and he does it well.
Everybody knows that. That’s why Frost’s name has surfaced frequently in the last couple years. He’ll likely be a candidate at more high-profile programs like Miami, South Carolina, Texas and USC. But if Frost isn’t experienced enough for a step up like that — he’s only been an offensive coordinator at Oregon for two years — Maryland has to be an ideal landing spot for Frost.
And for what it’s worth, I don’t want to hear the concerns about his recruiting ties not being on the East Coast. The guy recruited kids from everywhere in America to come to Eugene. He could do the same in College Park.
Anderson’s job is now recruiting a candidate with Frost’s credentials to come to Maryland. He cut ties with Edsall to get a head start on making his pitch to the right candidate. Whether or not the candidate he hires turns Maryland into the Oregon of the East Coast remains to be seen.
That could start with Anderson luring some Oregon to College Park.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.