Uh Oh: DeMatha Football, New Maryland Staff Have Already Established Poor Relationship

I don't think it's reached "rift" status quite yet, but it's getting there. Emphasis mine.

"We've reached out and we haven't yet heard anything. We're concerned because we want to maintain a relationship or at least establish a relationship with Maryland so our players can [potentially] have a bright future there like past players.

"It's odd. We have kids there that are successful currently. We're right down the road from Maryland. I am bewildered that we haven't established some sort of relationship." [...]

"[WR coach Lee Hull] said he didn't want to see any kids, that they didn't have any [DeMatha] players on the radar and that they had offered enough kids," Cunningham said. "They had offered [rising senior linebacker Sam] Lebbie when Ralph [Friedgen] was there and they pulled the offer, said they were recruiting a different kind of kid.

"We're here all spring, they have a six-week open period. They come the last week and say point-blank, ‘We don't want to see any of your kids'? ... The odds are, in the future, we will have players they are interested in. So I am definitely bothered there is no relationship attempted to be made, for future players at the least."

Ladies and gentlemen, Randy Edsall, the football version of mid-2000s Gary Williams.

Edsall's very obviously a no-BS, no-politics guy. Problem is, football recruiting, very much like basketball recruiting, is political. These coaches have influence on their players, and if you disrespect them by showing no interest in forming a relationship, you might have some trouble down the line, as DeMatha's coach alludes to. Recruiting, in most cases, is relationships.

I understand where Edsall's coming from. DeMatha has minimal talent this year. And without legendary coach Bill McGregor, it's very possible that their reign atop the WCAC is done, particularly with Good Counsel rising. New coach Elijah Brooks, a 27-year-old four years removed from college, isn't exactly the same big draw that McGregor, one of the most respected HS football coaches in the country, was. In fact, if there was a single local powerhouse that Maryland had to damage its relationship with, DeMatha would probably be the one I pick.

But, uh, I'd prefer it if Edsall could could avoid damaging ties with any local powerhouse. Seriously, would it be too much to just look at Dan Collura or Richard Webb, of offer one of DeMatha's committed four-stars? Don't even spend too much time or try to land them; just make it look like you care about the DC area's best football team over the past decade?

The "revoking Sam Lebbie's scholarship" thing is especially grating. That's just a slap in the face. Heck, the relationship was pre-built there. It's like they went out of their way to destroy it. (They obviously didn't, but it sure seems that way.)

Remember when Devin Burns had his scholarship revoked by Georgia? Carver's coach essentially said "Georgia is no longer welcome here." Wait, no, he said that exactly. And that's Georgia, which last time I checked had a bit more wiggle room than Maryland. (UGA supposedly had to "re-offer" Burns after his Maryland commit to regain access.)

It doesn't appear that DeMatha has a star in the pipeline at the moment. Friendship in DC and Good Counsel are the powerhouses for the present and near future. But when one emerges - and DM has too money for one not to - or when Edsall decides that 2013 RB Juan Carlos Mao-Alston is "his type of guy", perhaps Brooks might not be too welcoming.

Edsall's Gary-like no-BS approach will work with some. But by it's very nature it will burn its fair share of bridges, too. Oh well. Let's just hope he can have Gary-like success.