Mark Richt would be a great hire for the Maryland Terrapins

Mark Richt, who was let go by the University of Georgia, would be a great hire for a Maryland Terrapins team looking for a new head coach.

The Maryland Terrapins finished off the 2015 season with a come-from-behind win over Rutgers this Saturday. The 46-41 win gave Maryland its first win in two months as running back Brandon Ross scored the game-winning touchdown on an 80-yard run with 4:40 remaining in the game. The Terps will finish the season with a 3-9 record and begin the search for their next head coach.

With the college football season slowly coming to an end, the number of coaching vacancies figures to rise over the next coming weeks. Maryland has been rumored to have interest in just about every major coach available, but the man that makes the most sense for the Terps is Mark Richt, who was let go by the University of Georgia on Sunday.

Richt finished his career at Georgia with a 145-51 record and the Bulldogs participated in a bowl game in each of his 15 seasons. He won two SEC championships in 2002 and 2005, but failed to bring Georgia the national championship that has eluded the university since the 1980 season.

“That’s the standard here,” Richt said. “Win the SEC and hopefully go beyond that. From that point of view, we fell short of our goals.”

Richt ranks second in Georgia’s all-time wins and had the fifth-best winning percentage among active FBS coaches, behind only Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and TCU’s Gary Patterson. Now, he is looking for a new gig and it would be wise for the Terrapins to bring Richt to College Park.

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The Terps have been linked to several high-profile candidates as athletic director Kevin Anderson continues his search for a new coach. Michigan’s D.J. Durkin, Stanford’s Mike Bloomgren, UCLA’s Noel Mazzone, Oregon’s Scott Frost, TCU’s Doug Meachum, San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich and former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton have all spoken with the Terps’ brass. They have reached out to Herman Edwards, Tony Dungy and Mack Brown as well.

However, if Maryland wants a guy who could come in and make an impact immediately, Richt is that man.

Richt does have a tie with Maryland as associate athletic director Damon Evans was the AD at Georgia until July of 2010. They worked together for 10 years in Athens, and one would think that Evans and Anderson will reach out to Richt.

The unknown with Richt is whether he wants to coach a Maryland team that has struggled to transition into the Big Ten. Landing Richt would be a huge gain for the Terps, but does he want to go from Georgia, a SEC powerhouse, to Maryland, a program trying to right the ship. He also would find it difficult to compete in the East division that features Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.

He also will not be a cheap hire, but Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank would help in the finances for a coach that could put Maryland back on the map. Plank will be part of the decision-making process as he is spearheading a $155 million effort to improve the athletic complex. His influence will be key to whoever the Terps hire as their next head coach.

Richt is unlikely to take a position outside the Power 5 conferences which gives Maryland a leg up on some schools. There is no denying that Richt is a strong recruiter, landing some of the top prospects in the country in his time at Georgia. He’s a proven winner, something Maryland has been lacking since Ralph Friedgen led Maryland to seven bowl appearances.

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Richt’s connection to Evans will be the key factor if the former Georgia coach comes to College Park. If I was Anderson, Evans and Plank, I am doing all I can to get Richt to be the next head coach of the Terrapins.

What remains to be seen is if he would want anything to do with Maryland.

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