Feb. 2, 2011

Head Coach Randy Edsall

Opening Statement:
"I'm excited as can be about what took place earlier this morning and the job that the assistant coaches did in assembling this class. To really have only a month to put this class together is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the assistants, but most especially Tom Brattan, Don Brown, Lee Hull and Ryan Steinberg - the guys who I retained to keep me up to date on things. I think it says a lot about the University of Maryland and what the University of Maryland is all about.

"I had a chance to get out and visit each one of the young men who were committed prior to my arrival. The biggest thing that we wanted to do was keep that core intact but also to go out and attract other young men who we felt really fit what we were looking for in the profile that we've established here at the University of Maryland football program.

"All in all, I'm very pleased. When you take a look at the [position] breakdown: two running backs, we needed to get some depth there. We needed to get a fullback into the rotation and we got that. I thought we added three really good receivers. We're going to be losing three seniors and to bring those three in- two of them coming in January - is an added bonus. We get speed and athleticism. We're getting size with that group right there. For me, the heart and soul of your football team is the offensive and defensive lines. The one thing that impressed me with [having five offensive linemen] was their personalities. When I look at offensive linemen, I look at guys who have personality, who know when it is time to work but will also have some fun doing it. [Offensive line] is a tough position to play and there's not a lot of glory in it, but these guys are guys that smile but are workers. I was very, very pleased.

"When you take a look at defense, what we were able to do was add guys that fit the scheme in terms of what we want to play. We have guys that are athletes who can run, who will be physical and who have the ability to make plays. When you take a look we have two defensive linemen, an inside guy and an outside guy. Adding some linebackers, a local guy and a guy from New Jersey, who we feel is probably pretty underrated. We got a nickel package coming in with five defensive backs. They're athletic and they're guys that will strike you.

"I think we got a lot accomplished in a short period of time and we were well received as we got out there. It was a lot of hard work by everyone, most especially Don, Tom, Lee and Ryan, in letting me know what was going on and what we needed to. As I came in here, I was looking at the board with them and seeing where we were personnel-wise with the current team and what the needs were, in terms of what I wanted to do position-wise and numbers-wise.

"I'm very pleased and very, very excited. The good thing is there were no surprises this morning. Everything we thought was going to happen when we left here last night, happened this morning. Like I said, [I'm] very pleased with the results."

On challenges of last-minute recruiting:
"The process has really been non-stop, in terms of getting out there and getting around to all the kids. With Don, Tom, Lee and Ryan and all the other coaches coming on board- Lyndon [Johnson], Gary [Crowton], John [Dunn] and Greg [Gattuso]- getting those guys out there was a huge help. We were able to get a staff out there so everyone could see that we had a staff in place. We weren't recruiting kids that wouldn't know who their position coaches were going to be. It was hectic but it was fun."

On the characteristics he seeks in a potential recruit:
"We want young men, first and foremost, that can help us win an ACC Championship. That's the talent level that we're looking to recruit...who can help us win an ACC Championship, that's what we're looking for. But then you have to look at three other criteria.

"Young men have to be able to want to get a degree and understand that academics are important. If young men think they're going to come here and go through the motion, it is not going to work. Academics and wanting to graduate have to be priorities.

"The second thing is you have to have a work ethic. If you think you're going to get something from nothing, it's not going to happen. We want young men who have work ethics and understand you have to work to achieve success.

"The third thing is, we're looking for young men who have great character. I want to make sure that we also have people who come here and have support systems. When you go away from home for the first time, which is what these people do, there has to be a support system built in. We want to make sure that there is a support system at home and at school with the coach.

Those are all important to us. For us to take the program to where we want to take it to, those are the ingredients that we're looking for."

On who he has tabbed as recruiting coordinator:
"John Dunn is going to be our recruiting coordinator. He is also going to coach the tight ends. John and Ryan, the assistant recruiting coordinator, they're going to be charged with setting up what we're going to be doing from a mailing system.

Ultimately, it is a team effort. It is not just on John. He is the guy that is coordinating the whole thing. It is just like Don is coordinating the defense, Gary is coordinating the offense and Lyndon is coordinating the special teams."

On his style as a recruiter:
"I like it. I'm going to be hands-on. I think I have a pretty good knack for evaluating talent. I think I have a pretty good knack for being able to talk to kids and talk to parents and coaches and relating to them. To me, as a head coach, you have to be involved. It is important. I'm going to be involved with evaluating film. I'm going to get out there as much as I can when I can go recruiting. I'm going to be out there every day. I'm going to do things where we get kids here so I can sit down with them one-on-one. Again, the lifeblood of your program is recruiting."

On how this class plays a part in the team's mission to win the ACC:
"I think it gives us all the capability to do that because we signed them. We're not going to bring a kid in here if we feel that they can't contribute in any way, shape or form to the success of what we're doing. People get caught up too much in the rankings. I've been at all different levels. The only ranking that really matters is what my staff and I think. I've been at places before, where we might have not had recruits ranked that high, but we went out and won games. You don't win the championship in February. There are a lot of people that win in February, but they don't win in September through December. You have to win September through December. You can be great in February but if you don't get it done in September through December, that's where it counts. That's when the games are played. I feel very, very good about these 20 young men that we signed today. I feel that each one of them- as long as they stay healthy and do the things that we ask them to do- can contribute and be a very big part of the success that we're going to have here at the University of Maryland."

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