James Franklin was a wanted man, and the Terrapin Athletics Department knew it.
Two days after the Terp football team signed the nation’s No. 26-ranked class, according to Rivals.com, coach Ralph Friedgen and Athletics Director Debbie Yow further secured the future of the program. They announced Franklin, the offensive coordinator responsible for bringing in 11 of the 24 recruits, as Friedgen’s successor. Franklin, 37, will inherit the program when the 61-year-old head coach retires.
Franklin, who left the Terps after the 2004 season to join the Green Bay Packers and later Kansas State, rejoined the Terp staff in December 2007, but after just one season as offensive coordinator, he was courted for several job openings around the country this offseason. As a result, Yow and Friedgen decided to make official a possibility they had addressed upon his return.
“For us, it’s the end of a year of conversation,” said Yow. “[It was] an occasional thing and not a focus by any means, but we weren’t going to stand by and let a professional team take him away at this point.”
Yow called it a “common-sense” move meant to maintain the program’s continuity in recruiting as Friedgen’s contract, which runs through the end of the 2011 season, comes to an end.
Several schools across the nation, such as Florida State, Texas and Purdue, have made similar moves in recent years, hoping to build continuity in the program and reward star coordinators for staying at the school.
Yow and Friedgen emphasized the announcement is not related to Friedgen’s health. Friedgen, who said he has “been on a health kick since October,” plans to finish his contract and then evaluate his future. Franklin’s deal expires along with Friedgen’s on Jan. 2, 2012, and he can re-evaluate his position in the program at that time. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“I’m going to coach as long as I feel like coaching and as long as it’s enjoyable,” Friedgen said. “James has been such a big part of our success here, and to me, it’s kind of an honor and a legacy to have one of your coaches be able to follow you.”
Franklin said he had “three different opportunities at well-respected NFL organizations and colleges” after finishing his first season as Terp play caller. While neither Yow nor Franklin addressed specific suitors, one of those opportunities was believed to be with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and new coach Raheem Morris, who Franklin called one of his best friends.
But Franklin, with his wife and two young daughters in attendance, said the decision to stay adds continuity to his young family by keeping him in a place he wants to be.
“Now that we have children, I think the idea that we have the ability to be somewhere for a long amount of time is great,” Franklin’s wife, Fumi Franklin, said. “It’s stability for our family.”
In addition to locking in a rising young coordinator and noted recruiter, the Terps were able to take a step forward by announcing Friedgen’s successor before his age became a major issue.
Friedgen said a recruit’s high school coach recently asked him about rumors of his impending retirement planted by competing schools.
“Penn State was recruiting him, and so was Boston College. I said, ‘Well, (Boston College’s Frank) Spaziani is 64, and (Penn State’s Joe) Paterno is pushing 90, and you’re worried about me retiring?'” Friedgen said. “I said, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ But it is getting to that point where people are going to be questioning how long I’m going to be coaching.”
Friedgen has compiled a 64-36 record in his eight seasons. The former Terp offensive lineman has led the team to six bowl appearances in eight seasons, a remarkable run of success for a team that had not been to a bowl in 10 years prior to his hiring. Yow said the announcement was necessary for the “foundation” Friedgen has built to be preserved.
“The value of this is it shows the program is really progressing,” said Barry Gossett, a booster who made a record $8 million donation to Terp athletics in 2007. “With James and Ralph, it’s going to be great to pass the baton. It’ll be a seamless transition.”
Franklin, who is black, would be the first minority football head coach in school history. Currently, the Athletics Department employs three black head coaches: Jarnell Bonds (competitive cheer), Kerry McCoy (wrestling) and Andrew Valmon (track and field).
The former Division II quarterback gained experience and professional football contacts through three minority coaching internships, most recently with the Vikings last year. There is currently just one black head coach at the 65 BCS conference schools, Miami’s Randy Shannon, who became the second black coach in ACC history in 2007.
On Friday, Franklin, the fiery coordinator who has been known to chest bump his players following big plays in practice or after games, graciously acknowledged Friedgen and others who have helped him along the way as he sat in a dark-colored suit at a raised table in the Gossett Football Team House, flanked by his mentor and Yow.
“I just want to thank everybody for this opportunity,” Franklin said moments after Yow began the press conference. “I can guarantee I won’t let you down.”
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