It's one thing to see some hair-brained blogger say it. It's another to watch the words spill out of a university president's mouth.
In a sit-down interview with the Baltimore Suneditorial board, Maryland president Wallace Loh said in as many words that his school is looking to, officially, become the East Coast's Oregon.
He told the Sun Maryland is looking for a coach that plays an exciting brand of football that will truly get people excited. "I think it's a coach that plays an exciting brand of football, wide open, that has the personality to relate to the kids... the personality to project himself well vis a vis the boosters, vis a vis the media," he said. "You have to have an outsized personality, not just knowing the X's and O's."
Of course, Maryland fired Ralph Friedgen with the intent of hiring someone that will score points and fill seats, and ended up with Randy Edsall. That will be different this time around, though, because AD Kevin Anderson has tools at his disposal he did not have last time around.
"With the Big Ten Network and that exposure, and of course the connection with Under Armour, I would think this is one of the most attractive jobs in the country for somebody who's ambitious and willing to take risks," he said. "I mean, this is not going into a school with an established reputation like Michigan and Ohio State but the potential for growth, the potential for this being another Oregon, assuming that's the direction we all go...." Loh then trailed off on to a rabbit trail that concluded with him insisting Maryland will not have no-show classes for "10 to 15 years" like what happened at North Carolina.
While touting what an attractive opening Maryland is - and he's not off-base, what with BTN money pouring in and a new Big Ten media deal coming, the Under Armour connection, plus the ability to be the Big Ten's competent school on the Eastern Seaboard - Loh did offer this noteworth quote" "We can have a decrepit Byrd Stadium but you only use Byrd Stadium, what, five times a year or so. Those kids use an indoor facility every single day. What draws them here is the indoor facility, not Byrd Stadium."
When asked if Maryland can offer a competitive salary, Loh paused, then admitted he'd pledged a portion of the coming BTN money to academics, mentioned upcoming cost-of-attendance scholarships and the O'Bannon decision. Loh committed to paying a competitive rate, saying, "I don't know what that is." He then said this, "Harbaugh and Urban Meyer make $7 million. Chip Kelly, who is not doing all that well with the Philadelphia Eagles, made far, far less than that at Oregon."
In other words: open up your check book, please, Mr. Plank.