The dream just seems to get worse and worse for Maryland head coach Randy Edsall. Quarterback Danny O'Brien, a rising offensive star in the ACC, will seek a transfer out of the program for the 2012 season.
Dan Hellie of NBC 4 reported via Twitter that O'Brien met with Edsall to inform him of the transfer. Offensive lineman Max Garcia is also leaving the program via transfer. O'Brien also took to Twitter to silence some of the news, saying "Contrary to rumor, I am still a Terp."
O'Brien is rebounding form injury last season and was expected to be used lightly in spring practices in College Park. Now his focus may shift to rehabbing and searching for a new program to play college football if he has decided to seek a transfer.
It should also be noted that O'Brien served as host for wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who is expected to announce his college choice in the coming days. Diggs is the top-rated recruit in Maryland and he had official visits planned after National Signing Day, leaving him as the last unsigned top recruit. Maryland was thought to be in the running, but this certainly would not bode well for Maryland's recruiting class if O'Brien followed through on a transfer.
O'Brien struggled in his sophomore season, and the first year with Edsall as Maryland's head coach. A season after being named ACC Rookie of the Year in 2010 and a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, the future looked bright for O'Brien. Instead O'Brien passed for 1,648 yards and seven touchdowns compared to 2,438 yards and 22 touchdowns the season before. He also threw more interceptions (10) than in 2010 (8) with about 70 fewer pass attempts.
With the potential departures of O'Brien and Garcia, Maryland will be seeing a total of ten players transferring between the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Running backs D.J. Adams, Rashaan Moore and Jeremiah Wilson, right tackle R.J. Hill, wide receiver Adrian Coxson, defensive linemen Cody Blue and David Mackall and defensive back Titus Till have all been previously reported to leaving the program. Maryland has seen at least 20 players leave the program with eligibility remaining since the hiring of Edsall to replace Ralph Friedgen.
Kevin McGuire is a national college football writer for Examiner.com and the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast. He can be reached at cfbexaminer@gmail.com.
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