Amidst three bowl trips and two losing seasons, Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen could count on consistency when he looked to his offensive and defensive coordinators.
Defensive coordinator Gary Blackney and offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe each had head coaching experience and spent five years on Friedgen’s staff. Blackney’s November retirement and Taaffe’s February resignation forced Friedgen to go hunting to fill their spots for the first time since he was hired.
And just like he relied on former colleagues and ties to other assistants to make other hires, Friedgen reached into program history and called on long-lasting friendships to complete his staff with Chris Cosh and Phil Zacharias.
Just weeks after the then-60-year-old Blackney’s retirement, Friedgen plucked Cosh from Kansas State for the defensive coordinator position. It wasn’t a hard move for Cosh, a Washington native who played at Virginia Tech and coached inside linebackers for the Terps in 1997.
“Kansas State was a beautiful place to coach, but I’m home here,” said Cosh, who has coached established NFL players such as John Abraham and Eric Barton.
Sophomore linebacker Erin Henderson didn’t even play a game last season after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament but admitted he and teammates had some trouble transitioning from Blackney’s defense to Cosh’s. Senior cornerback Josh Wilson has gotten used to the old system after playing three seasons under Blackney, but for him it’s been the change in personality that’s been the big adjustment.
“Coach Blackney was more laid back, didn’t say much, did more teaching,” Wilson said. “Coach Cosh is more energetic. He runs around, gets you hyped – and reminds you you’re out there playing the game you love.”
Speed and energy aren’t the only things Cosh has brought to the Terp defense. Cosh’s list of coaching mentors reads like a role call of future hall of famers: former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, recently-retired Kansas State coach Bill Snyder and current Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban.
Given Cosh’s local connections – which could benefit the Terps in recruiting – and his experience as defensive coordinator at South Carolina, Michigan State and Illinois, Friedgen didn’t hesitate to hire him. On the other side of the ball, Friedgen took a more unconventional approach.
During spring practice, Friedgen took over Taaffe’s spot as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, devoting himself to extra hours of the meticulous elements of the job. That is, until he hired a former defensive coach to guide the Terp running backs.
In June, Friedgen brought in Zacharias, Temple’s defensive line coach who had also been a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens, and shifted running back’s coach John Donovan to coach the quarterbacks.
But as Zacharias struggled at first to learn the pro-style offense, Friedgen told reporters he had interviewed Zacharias before for a defensive position and that his reason for hiring him went beyond playbooks and philosophies: Zacharias’ son Jameson was the voice on his father’s answering machine, providing evidence to Friedgen that the new coach was as devoted to his family as he was to football.
“You work hard when you’re between jobs, and always, to make an impression on people,” Zacharias said. “You never know what it is. Luckily, Friedgen was looking for someone with strong family ties.”
Even deeper ties to the Terp coaching staff may have had a lot to do with the hire as well. Zacharias has known offensive line coach Tom Brattan since they coached in Virginia in the early 1980s and their 24-year relationship also contributed to Zacharias getting the job.
As Zacharias works to learn the offense and Cosh works to implement his fast-paced defense, the new staff hasn’t missed a beat.
“It’s not anything different, just right on schedule,” Wilson said. “We’re right on stride and picking up right where we left off.”
Contact reporter Stephen Whyno at whynodbk@gmail.com.
