The case for Don Brown as Maryland's next head football coach

Over the coming weeks and months, the Maryland football program will search for a new head coach to replace the departed Randy Edsall. We know who the candidates are, but who should Maryland pick? We'll state every coach's case, whether he wants the job or not, in 500 words or so.

Don Brown, Boston College defensive coordinator

Possibility scale: 1/10

The resume

A few have mentioned his name, but no one has looked seriously at the possibility of bringing Don Brown back to take on the head coaching duties at Maryland. Is the idea that terribly outrageous? Brown hasn't been a head coach since 2008 and has never been one at the FBS level. However, he's had success in all three of his previous stints: Plymouth State (3 seasons, 2 playoffs, 25-6), Northeastern (4 seasons, 1 playoff, 27-20) and UMass (5 seasons, 2 playoffs, 43-19). His overall record of 95-45 gives him a .679 winning percentage.

Brown is familiar to Maryland fans for his two years as defensive coordinator in 2009 and 2010 and for flying the coop to Connecticut shortly after Randy Edsall's hiring in 2011. The Terps' struggles in 2009 have been well documented elsewhere, but the defense improved markedly in 2010, conceding only 22 points per game after yielding 31 in 2009. That pattern held true in his two seasons at UConn.

This season, Brown's Boston College defense has been excellent, rating No. 1 in the country in total yardage allowed.

The benefits

Brown certainly knows the area and recruited some of Maryland's top defensive players in his time in College Park. His coaching and schemes of organized chaos - blitzing on 85 percent of his plays - led to Maryland generating 22 turnovers in 13 games in 2010. He also brought out the best in those players, particularly Kenny Tate, whose play Brown characterized as "unbelievable at virtually every position on the field."

If Mike Locksley is retained in some capacity beyond the end of this season, the Terrapins could have an impressive two-headed recruiting monster with Brown able to focus on the defense and Locksley on the offensive side of the ball.

Brown is one of the older candidates - having turned 60 in July of this year. Thus, the head coaching job at Maryland would likely be a destination job for him, negating the fear that he might jump ship as soon as a more high profile opportunities became available.

The drawbacks

Because he's 60 years old, people will question his ability to relate to recruits, and he would likely leave Maryland looking for a replacement again in five to seven years.

Brown is certainly not the splashy offensive hire that many in the fan base might be looking for, and his record shows that teams need a season to properly implement his defensive schemes. Thus, dynamic hires to lead the offense could be crucial both in juicing the fan base and seeing some early success on the field.

In one sentence

Brown is an under-the-radar prospect with ties to the area whose reputation as a defensive madman-or-genius could be just the right prescription for Maryland in the physical Big Ten East.