Coach: Clark 'disappointed,' but still loves Terps
A member of the Maryland coaching staff reached Matt Dixon by phone before the Felix Varela (Fla.) football coach heard the news of defensive coordinator Don Brown's departure from Maryland to Connecticut.
Dixon’s star cornerback, Undray Clark, was recruited by Brown and signed with the Terps on Wednesday.
“We let Undray know soon after,” the phone call, Dixon said. “He was shocked, a little disappointed, but he loved Maryland, loved the program. So it’s not going to affect anything he does. He was very disappointed. Coach Brown and he were really close.”
Dixon said the Maryland representative wanted Clark to hear the news from someone on the Terps staff and “not somebody else. It was very professional of them to call and let us know.”
Dixon said he and Clark were “definitely shocked” by the news of Brown’s decision to leave College Park just two days after Signing Day. The former UMass coach played “a big part” in Clark’s interest in the Terps.
“Coach Brown came down and talked to him during a practice, they communicated during the summer, and that’s what intrigued him,” Dixon said. “We went through the whole process in December when Coach Brown was in limbo, didn’t know what was going on. But Undray still wanted to go to Maryland no matter what. He visited the school, and it was a place where he felt really comfortable.”
A three-star prospect, Clark committed to the Terps in July. He picked Maryland over Duke, Minnesota and Wake Forest, citing his bond with Brown as a major reason for his commitment.
“I mean it’s disappointing, no question,” Dixon said. “There’s definitely some disappointment because Coach Brown was going to be his position coach, too. So there was definitely some disappointment, but did it stop him from [wanting to] go there or make him question his decision? No, I don’t think so. Not from the conversation I had with him.”
Comments
glad to hear - time for all to settle down. i still think that edsall will get a great replacement...going to surprise and please us all.
Posted by: pepper | February 5, 2011 1:44 AM
Let cooler heads prevail. Go TERPS!
Posted by: John | February 5, 2011 4:23 AM
Still another "black mark" against the university? The timing can not help but make folks wonder about what in the world
is going on out there, particularly the new players and their families?! Does the program have any credibility left?? One never gets a second opportunity to make a first impression! OUCH!!!
Posted by: randy | February 5, 2011 10:50 AM
no ncaa violations, getting better, great stadium (thank you debbie yow),
just get a GREAT D-coordinator and all is forgiven
Posted by: pepper | February 6, 2011 12:12 AM
pepper... if you consider Byrd to be a great stadium, you have evidently never traveled to other school's stadiums. It is average at best.
Posted by: Sean | February 6, 2011 10:58 AM
re statium - i'm going back a little - graduated form MD in the 1975 ... so the stadium today is great stadium. 60k people, good concessions, stylish suites ... granted not new, but a lot of upgrading during the past 10-years and most likely not much more on the horizon.
it works
Posted by: pepper | February 7, 2011 6:18 AM
I have been to stadiums at VT, UVA, Georgia Tech, UNC, Duke, NC State, Pa State and none are as good as Byrd Stadium.
VT is just a high school stadium on steriods. Pa States beaver stadium is as boring as they get, Duke UNC and NC State's stadiums are average at best. Dukes is actually rather terrible. UVA has a decent stadium, but Byrd is top notch. Its not flashy but it is not trying to be. Byrd has the atmosphere, the history and tradition, and a national championship before those other schools.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 7, 2011 5:14 PM