New TE/Special Teams Coach: Charles Bankins

Not a bad hire, to me. Seems better than Pearman was, and better than the rumor (TE/ST coach from Boston College).

Charles Bankins is in his first season as special teams coordinator/tight ends coach at Maryland, having been hired in February, 2009.

Bankins has experience coaching offense and special teams at the collegiate and professional levels, most recently serving as an assistant at the University of Richmond, which captured the 2008 Football Championship Subdivsion (FCS) title.

During Bankins' two-year stint as Richmond's running backs coach, the Spiders had one of the most prolific rushing attacks in the country. Last season, the Spiders had the 24th-ranked offense in the nation, led by Josh Vaughan who rushed for 1,884 yards.

Of course, I find it very strange that his last stint was at a RB's coach, while we hired for TE/ST. Seems a little out of place, to me. But he handled recruiting Viginia for Richmond - who was able to get talent pretty consistently, for a 1-AA school - and his contacts will likely come in handy. His coaching can't be evaluated yet, but he seems to have some promise. He's also young and looks like he can relate to players, so that's always a plus. I'm not blown away, but I'm not too disappointed, especially considering how quickly he's moved up the coaching ladder.