Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson spoke in front of reporters today in part to announce that Ralph Friedgen's tenure as Maryland's football coach is over, but also in part to squash rumors that were out there about the team's future. The biggest one out there is that former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach was set to take over the program.
Anderson said that wasn't the case, stressing that the program hasn't even organized a search committee to begin contacting prospective candidates. However, he did let slip that Leach is a candidate, saying that he is on a list that he will recommend to the search committee. When asked to name any other names on the list, Anderson declined to elaborate.
The fact that he would signal Leach out is interesting, but a given, considering all the reports out there. There's a possibility that a non-search committee member reached out to Leach through back channels, allowing Maryland to say that they never talked to Leach. Or, Anderson is telling the truth, and the Leach report came out of nowhere. Only time will tell which answer is correct.