Maryland football will be changing its defensive scheme in the wake of hiring former Houston defensive coordinator Brian Stewart to the same position, coach Randy Edsall announced on Tuesday. The Terps will be officially transitioning to a 3-4 defense, going slightly away from old coordinator Todd Bradford's scheme.
Via Jacob Engelke of Inside Md. Sports:
Edsall says the #Terps will run an "an aggressive 3-4 system" under new defensive coordinator Brian Stewart.
— Jakob Engelke (@Jakob_Engelke) January 17, 2012
Edsall on the 3-4: "I think it’s going to work really well with what we have and some young men that we have commitments from." #Terps
— Jakob Engelke (@Jakob_Engelke) January 17, 2012
SB Nation's Terps blog Testudo Times has more on the switch.
Assuming Stewart takes the right approach here, going one-gap and emphasizing speed and athleticism, I can see it working. But make no mistake: going 3-4 this year would be a move made entirely with eyes on the long-term. It's not the best fit for the current roster, or even a particularly good fit, although there are some pieces in reserve that will make sense in a year or two. The good news is that there are multiple recruits in the area, considering Maryland, that make tons of sense for this scheme. Get them in, and you can see the obviously huge ceiling this set has.
For more on this hire and what it means for the Maryland football team, please head over to Testudo Times.