Touch All Four Colors – Maryland Pride
What am I doing here? It looks as if I am awaiting Coach DJ Durkin’s, University of Maryland new Football Coach to announce his first incoming recruiting class of the “Durkin dynasty” (my euphemism). Yes, I am a homer who happens to help Montgomery Community Media on all things sports related.
So why am I here in College Park. Two reasons.
The first is the fact that four county residents – the latest in what is known as #TheMovement chose to stay close to home to spend four or five years playing college D1 football. The second reason is I happened to be of the opinion that Maryland’s Athletic Department won big time in the coaching recruiting wars. Durkin’s appearance will be his first real public litmus test of how he and his staff plan to recharge the program.
Meanwhile four county residents – Jake Funk of Gaithersburg, Adam McLean of Gaithersburg, Richard Merritt of Silver Spring and Trevon Stott of Germantown all become Terrapins. McLean (Quince Orchard) was a recruit from a prior year and spent time on grades before reintegrating with Maryland. Both McLean and Funk (Damascus) are currently enrolled this semester at UMD. Merritt (Archbishop Carroll) and Stott (Good Counsel) will join them in the fall.
Back in College Park we now shift attention to those behind the curtains. Durkin, one of the youngest head coaches in the B1G Ten has a staff of former head coaches as a supporting cast. He also has hired Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, formerly of Alabama’s assistant coaching staff to now assume a similar assistant defensive coaching position with the Terrapins. Abdul-Rahim, also formerly of Friendship Collegiate charter school in D.C., will take on recruiting in the Southeast as well as the great DMV for the Terps. Today they also announced seven new recruits from the sunshine state of Florida.
Championships are won – in the recruiting environment – and keeping the recruits in this case in College Park will be up to the new staff and a supporting home crowd along with the spread of #TheMovement.
For Funk he leaves the small town comfort of Damascus for life in College Park. Friends and family will be nearby but his time will not always be his own. One thing is for sure, Funk has traded one Damascus color – Green- for two Maryland colors -Black and Red – while keeping a hold of the White and Gold.
So Jake, Adam, Richard and Trevon, just remember to touch all four colors should you ever find yourselves after a Terps score in the Maryland Pride end zone at Capital One Field at the University of Maryland. #TouchAll4Colors.
Go Terps. Maryland Pride.
Phil Fabrizio
@Photoloaf
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