The deed is done, and Cosh is officially going to Kansas State. Details are still fuzzy - will he coach all the way through the bowl game? - but they'll be updated tomorrow. As for now, it's time for speculation!
Several big schools have undergone some head coach changes recently, and that normally means that the existing staff will have to prove themselves to the new regime. After looking around, a few names popped out at me.
First, the dream gets: Vic Koenning or John Chavis. Two great DCs from relatively close schools, both on their way out. Koenning, after the hiring of Dabo Swinney at Clemson, hit the road, so he's looking for a job. Might he search out a position still in the ACC, somewhat close to home? Clemson was 16th in total defense, 9th in scoring defense,12th in passinig defense, and 37th in rushing defense. All of these numbers are far better than Cosh ever achieved at Maryland.
Chavis is the current DC at Tennessee, but Lane Kiffen just took over, and rumor has it that Daddy Kiffin wants a position there. If true, Chavis would be looking for a job. I doubt he'd head over here unless Debbie Yow dropped a ton of cash - which probably won't happen - but it's worth looking at regardless. Tennessee, in case you care, was 5th in total defense this year. Both Chavis and Koenning will likely have some bigger fish to fry.
Those two probably won't happen, unfortunately. Other options? Well, there are a few guys with Maryland ties that would be good. Larry Johnson, the current DL coach for PSU, is a great recruiter in this area, with a lot of ins at high schools. His coaching is pretty good, not great, but definitely good enough to suffice, especially with the amount of talent rolling in. He's a former HS coach from the area, so he might want to return home, even after supposedly badmouthing to school to some recruits.
Is Mike Locksely a possibility? The current DC at Illinois, he's part of an administration feeling a lot of pressure. Zook isn't liked at all in Champagne, though there appears to be little possibility of a firing any time soon. Locks is a former Maryland coach, and another recruiter who can work the area like no one else - he pulled Arrelious Benn and Vontae Davis out of Maryland to go to Illinois. I doubt he'll agree to anything less than a head coaching position, though.
There's always the possibility of internal promotion - Al Seamonson, the current Terps LB coach, and Dave Solazzo, the current Terps DL coach, are both possibilities. I can't say I'd be overly pleased with either one, unfortunately - both do decent jobs at their position, but I wouldn't want them as a DC.
Any ideas from you guys? Any particular person you'd like to see in charge of the defense?