Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen had a lot on his mind Tuesday, after a long and disappointing practice session.
After spending about 45 minutes (but seemingly hours) talking to a recruit after the team left the field, Friedgen drove his golf cart over to where the media waited. He apologized for the delay and immediately went into some of the question marks surrounding his team, most of which he blamed on his own strategies.
Was he wrong in playing more younger players this spring? Friedgen believes the veteran players are resting on their laurels, not working as hard as they had in the past.
Was the offense adjusting quickly enough to new coordinator James Franklin’s system? Well, that will take time. Even quarterback Chris Turner is still learning, according to Friedgen.
But one question struck me: Friedgen knows he has to narrow his roster down to 105 players for summer camp. And the veteran coach seemed genuinely concerned about making such a decision.
Maybe that’s why Friedgen is a popular figure: as he looked me directly into my eyes and said he wanted to bring every single player to camp, how the NCAA was keeping him from that, Friedgen seemed sincere in his worries. The NCAA allows only 105 players to be invited to training camp, but the Terps will likely have a list of around 126 players to choose from.
Players will be allowed to rejoin the roster in the fall, but Friedgen wants to put everyone through the camp.
“I don’t like to cut kids because I’m a bout having kids do well and get better,” Friedgen said. “I worry a little bit about kids today. I know I’m sounding like an ancient guy. But anything that’s of discomfort for them, it’s easy for them to give in. It’s a generation of feel-goods.”
The emotion and honesty aren’t new for Friedgen, but it is impressive that after a practice where he felt his team completely lacked intensity, especially on offense, he was still worried about the futures of his players.
Reserve center Maurice Hampton tore his meniscus, according to Friedgen. He will likely miss the entire spring despite his recent improvements at the position.
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Tags: Chris Turner, Friedgen, James Franklin, Maurice Hampton