Better coaching job: South Carolina or Maryland
There are currently five open coaching jobs in college football with USC clearly the top position for so many reasons. Illinois and North Texas are fine opportunities but the real debate centers around which of the other two is a better spot - Maryland or South Carolina?
Each has advantages and disadvantages. Each has positives and negatives. Here's a look at those two openings, what might be expected from the next hire and how recruiting plays a huge role:
Advertisement
What happened: Randy Edsall was fired earlier this month after the Terrapins lost in three straight blowouts. The move was expected after reports surfaced the week prior that Edsall would be fired after the Ohio State game. Edsall was 22-34 in his tenure.
Recruiting: Maryland is currently ninth in the Big Ten team recruiting rankings, but has more four-star commits than all but four conference teams. Five of the top seven players in the state are committed to the Terrapins, led by four-stars OLB Keandre Jones and QB Dwayne Haskins Jr..
Advantages: Money should not be a problem moving forward and Maryland could see a significant contribution from Under Armour billionaire CEO Kevin Plank, who played for the Terrapins. Consider that with the Big Ten television revenue stream and the Terrapins could be swimming in it. That means it has the cash to hire a big-name coach looking for a fresh start. Making Maryland the "Oregon of the East" might be a stretch, but there are reasons to make that comparison.
The recruiting territory is strong with the DMV area and then the opportunities to keep working into Pennsylvania and New Jersey. All four of Maryland's four-star commits are in-state prospects. A big hire, a flashy name and there is no telling how successful the Terrapins could be dipping into Virginia, keeping the in-state athletes home and making a dent into the Northeast.
Disadvantages: The Big Ten money is great. Playing in the Big Ten East Division is a daunting task with Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State and Rutgers making it one of the toughest divisions in college football.
The state of Maryland has become hot recruiting territory and plenty of teams trespass to poach. Penn State has done it for years. Ohio State took the state's top player (OL Isaiah Prince) last recruiting cycle. Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Texas, Virginia Tech and others have all taken top talent from the state recently.
One other challenge: There is no winning tradition there. Maryland hasn't been significantly good since the early 2000s. A lot of current prospects were toddlers then. What is success at Maryland? Being relevant again or competing for Big Ten titles?
What happened: Steve Spurrier resigned after a 2-4 start and a 45-24 loss to LSU. He goes out the winningest coach in Gamecocks history.
Recruiting: South Carolina sits ninth in the SEC (fifth among SEC East teams) with five four-star commitments and seven three-star pledges but none of the four-stars are Rivals100 prospects. The top-rated recruit in the class is Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul's defensive tackle Darius Whitfield, who committed to the Gamecocks the same day Spurrier stepped down.
Advantages: There are some major advantages to the South Carolina job. An undying fan base awaits the new coach in Columbia and the environment at Williams-Brice Stadium is something to admire. That could be a selling point for the new regime.
Being in the SEC gives South Carolina a built-in recruiting advantage and the Gamecocks border two states (North Carolina and Georgia) that routinely churn out high-level talent. Getting in those states and taking guys away will be crucial. In-state talent is not plentiful, but there are numerous upper-echelon kids every year coming out of the state as well.
The SEC East has been up for the taking recently. That means if the ball bounces right for South Carolina a few times, the Gamecocks could be right in it for the division. Missouri is a fine team, but if it can win the East twice in a row, then South Carolina at least has a shot to take it as well.
Disadvantages: The first disadvantage is that South Carolina is probably the second-best team in the state. Clemson is playing so well, it's recruiting high-quality skill players and -- as much as Carolina fans don't want to admit -- the Tigers are rolling right now.
Another issue: If Spurrier couldn't make the Gamecocks a national contender, who can get it done? Also, the guy following "the guy" is rarely a good situation. Expectations are super high and comparisons to Spurrier will be inevitable.
Lastly, recruiting at South Carolina is always a grind with Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Clemson and other all competing for many of the same top recruits.
THE VERDICT
Years from now, we'll look back at how the Maryland and South Carolina jobs played out and how it all went down. There's no telling what will happen but the guess of Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell is that although Maryland is attractive, South Carolina remains the better job.
"It's a school in the SEC and they're not in a nightmare division," Farrell said. "They're right in the middle of their recruiting grounds where Maryland is on the outskirts of the Big Ten geographically.
"South Carolina has a natural rival in Clemson. Maryland does not but they're trying to make Penn State the rival and Penn State doesn't consider Maryland its rival. A job in the SEC, in the East Division, in the middle of a strong recruiting territory is better."
Click Here to view this Link.