Comcast SportsNet’s Terrapins Rising has been hailed as a show that offers an insider’s perspective into the university’s football program. Each week it focuses on a few stories about players and coaches, as well as showing some drama surrounding the spring practices.
But Terrapins Rising – shown throughout the state of Maryland and some select national areas – isn’t just about the entertainment; it also seems to be having an effect on local recruiting. And the Terrapin coaching staff is hoping this program sets itself apart from what other teams are doing in the hectic world of recruiting.
“[Terrapins Rising] is a tremendous resource to educate on the University of Maryland and its football program,” offensive coordinator and noted recruiter James Franklin said.
One player that is very familiar with the different aspects of recruiting is freshman wide receiver Kenny Tate. Tate, a four-star recruit from DeMatha High School, said he used to watch the show while in high school. Tate said even though he didn’t have a lot of time to watch television, he came away with a positive impression of the Terps through the show.
“It gives an insight on what the team is doing, and it informs you of some things that you didn’t know where going on,” Tate said.
Tate is not the only player Terrapins Rising has affected. Terrapin Times.com’s Keith Cavanaugh recalled a story in which a player was so “pumped up hearing [head] coach [Ralph] Friedgen speak” on Terrapins Rising he committed right after watching it.
Although Terrapins Rising isn’t the recruiting slam-dunk some may have hoped it would be, BalitmoreSun.com recruiting expert Matt Bracken thinks it certainly doesn’t hurt the university football program.
“It’s a solid recruiting tool because players may be attracted to the spotlight,” Bracken said. “Additionally, several recruits have mentioned the location and its proximity to Washington D.C. and Baltimore as having an impact on their decision.”
Coach Franklin agrees with Bracken about the proximity to those big media markets and specifically mentioned the appeal of Washington. Even though Franklin thinks the show needs to be marketed more, he thinks the show has a major impact on recruits.
“It certainly has a big impact because it allows recruits to learn about the program and because reality television is so big these days. It also allows for a local kid to imagine himself on television and for his parents and family to be able to see him on TV a couple years down the line.”
Terrapins Rising is considered to be the only television show in the country to focus on just one college program for an entire season. The program is also shown during the summer months, a time labeled as the “dead period” because coaches are not allowed to be in contact with players.
“Even though it’s a dead period until September, Terrapins Rising gives recruits an unlimited look into the program,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s a great gateway for potential players to learn about the coaches and current players.”
With constant television exposure for the university football program, it wouldn’t be a surprise to eventually see opposing coaches complain about the show being an unfair advantage. But Franklin isn’t worried about what others may think.
“It certainly gives us an advantage, but any other BCS conference school could do this,” he said. “And as for disadvantages toward other schools, life isn’t fair and neither is recruiting nor the NCAA.”
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