A New Year, New Maryland Media Day: What You Need To Know

Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland’s Media Day came and went Monday without any hitches. These events are typically rah-rah, coach-speak laden synopses that every fan wants to hear, and this one was no different. I’ll condense all the information you need to know here, so you won’t have to go digging around for quotes.

• CJ Brown starts out the year as QB1, as pretty much everyone expected. Coach Edsall said quickly on the quarterback situation during his press conference: “CJ is our quarterback. CJ is our starting quarterback.”
• Also, Edsall utilizes some black comedy shortly afterwards: “I like that we’ve got plenty of depth at quarterback just in case. Hopefully, we don’t need just in case this year.” (These jokes still make me nervous)
• The SAM position is still very much up for grabs, and it’s a two-horse race between oft-injured senior Matt Robinson and junior Alex Twine according to Edsall, who likes the competition: “That’s what we’re trying to get at every position, to have that kind of talent, to have that kind of competition, because those guys are going to push each other and make each other better.”
• The offensive line is still an area of concern for Edsall and his staff, though he believes he has the right players available to get the job done. Still, he’s hoping that he’ll be able to redshirt some of the freshman, and is still looking for backups: “Offensive line depth is a concern.”
• Edsall, on Stefon Diggs Heisman candidacy: “Those things always take care of themselves. I’m not big on promoting guys, stuff like that.”
• Coach Edsall also had an interesting thing to say about Diggs development, aside from the fact that he’s up to about 195-pounds right now: “We’re going to do everything we can to help develop him holistically. He’s a great kid and I love being around him.” Still not entirely sure what that means.
• The running back situation doesn’t seem to concern Edsall too much, and he believes that the players they have will more than make up for the loss of Wes Brown: “We have a tremendous amount of confidence in Brandon Ross and Albert Reid, Joe Riddle and Jacquille Veii.”
• Apparently, Stefon Diggs thinks he’s going to remain in college for four years: “I’ll do my four years like everybody else and if the chips fall that way”
• Diggs was a running back and DB in high school, so naturally if he had a position to choose, he’d pick defense: “I’m probably a corner at heart. I have the competitive nature of the corner.”
• Speaking of receivers, Nigel King says that he and Deon Long will be outside this year, with Diggs lining up in the slot. That’s no surprise, although I’m curious to see how King is on the outside.
• Everyone and their mother has noted how large Deon Long is, so I’ll mention it here. If he can be a red zone threat with that size, all the better for Maryland.
• Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but Stefon Diggs has a Tupac haircut right now… http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2013/08/05/stefon-diggs-has-a-tupac-haircut/?wprss=rss_sports&clsrd
• EDIT: Taivon Jacons daughter’s first words? Dad. Heartwarming stuff.
• TestudoTimes.com is doing some great work interviewing the coaches and players, specifically the positional coaches. You can check out all their coverage here.