BIG 2016 // Maryland Potluck Part 3: Loaded Cheese Fries

Today we'll go with one of Maryland's fine pizza establishments, Ledo Pizza, and feature an appetizer: Loaded cheese fries. Waffle cut fries are loaded with cheddar sauce, more cheese and tons of delicious bacon. Whether you're recovering from a hangover or need to soak up some booze these will most certainly do the trick.

Continuing with the discussion on DJ Durkin and what Maryland fans hope is a turn around to a successful program, let’s talk ‘crootin. DJ Durkin had roughly two months to salvage a 2016 class and was able to bring in at least an average class, which to be honest isn’t bad with two months on the job. What he failed to do was keep the two highest ranked recruits that Maryland had committed to them. In the short time that he’s had for 2017 he currently has the 15th ranked class and the #1 WDE committed to the Terps. Do you think he can keep this momentum up to further facilitate a turnaround?

C4B: It’s a good start. Recruiting is a notoriously fickle business (and that even includes the aboveboard parts of the process), so one year of success does not a turnaround make. Come back to this next year.

Al NamiasIV: Yes, he can probably keep recruiting at a fairly high level. On the other hand, Randy Edsall brought in some decent recruiting classes, all things considered (after all, Maryland, compared to the upper Midwest, for example, is fairly talent-rich and it’s Maryland, not Ohio State). I’m not going to downplay the importance of bringing in high-level recruits, but I will say it only gets a program so far. In the end, the coach has to develop the players and put them in a position to win games. I don’t think it’s that difficult to compile a staff full of high-level recruiters, but can they coach?

LPW: Given his history as a recruiter at his previous stops, I think the future is bright. Like Ash, he needs to keep the kids home and keep Penn State out.

Speth: Kinda started answering this before, if the goal is to be the 4th best program in the East, recruiting won’t be an issue. If I was a football recruit, I’d rather go to Maryland than Penn State. I’d rather go to OSU or Michigan than both of them, but that’s beside the point. I’d be curious to see what would happen to Penn State recruiting if Franklin wasn’t there. Recruiting’s all he does, but if you put Paul Chryst at Penn State I bet he’d get outrecruited by Durkin and he’s put together decent results in that department at Wisconsin.

Townie: Best of luck. With Coach Tantrum sleeping with ‘cruits and lots of interested parties ready to poach your best...I say nope. That doesn’t mean you won’t have a decent class, just don’t think your high-ranked guys are in until they sign their LOI.

Thumpasaurus: DJ Durkin was named Rivals Recruiter of the Year in 2012. One of the keys to Jim Harbaugh’s success is his ability to surround himself with talented people. Durkin is a guy that was on Harbaugh’s Stanford staff that he liked so much he got him back as part of his Michigan staff. If I were a Maryland fan, I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t outrecruiting his predecessor by next year.

Andrew Kraszsewki: Loooooooooong way until Signing Day, man. If the first season goes south, it could go one of two ways: crootz think 'man, I want nothing to do with that disaster' or 'man, I'd be starting from day one for that disaster.' I tend to adhere more to the program-builder than the hotshot recruiter for a meaningful turnaround. Even utterly studly classes won't fill in the depth chart until '18 at the earliest. All I'm saying is if starz were everything, Brady Hoke would still be eating guys in Ann Arbor.