Football has issues aplenty heading into offseason

Beat writer Conor Walsh offers a handful of questions — and some answers, too — that will likely dominate the Terrapins football team's offseason.

IS DANNY O'BRIEN HEADED ELSEWHERE?

Entering this season, it seemed that if anyone's starting job on the Terrapins football team was safe, it was quarterback Danny O'Brien's.

The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, O'Brien was expected to further establish himself among the ACC's top signal callers this season.

But early-season struggles for the redshirt sophomore spiraled into a quarterback controversy with dual-threat quarterback C.J. Brown, and speculation over O'Brien's possible departure from College Park has since skyrocketed.

He's reportedly set to graduate in May, which would allow O'Brien to join another program without sitting out a season after a transfer.

Could he rejoin former offensive coordinator James Franklin at Vanderbilt? Might he pursue a fresh start at another school, as former N.C. State star quarterback Russell Wilson did this season at Wisconsin?

O'Brien's offered little public insight into his thought process at this point, and coach Randy Edsall has said he plans to see O'Brien here next season.

But after losing his job in the midst of a horrendous 2-10 campaign, could anybody blame him if he at least explored his options?

HOW MUCH OF AN EXODUS WILL THERE BE?

With The Baltimore Sun's report Sunday that sophomore defensive end David Mackall was granted a release from his scholarship last week, the expected slew of offseason departures from the program has begun. What remains to be seen is just how long the list will be.

Mackall told the Sun that this season "wasn't really the family vibe that we had a year ago," and more divorces seem inevitable. In addition to O'Brien, running back D.J. Adams, who was relegated to the bench for much of the season after rushing for 11 touchdowns as a freshman in 2010, certainly seems a likely candidate.

And with what appears to be pervasive discontent with Edsall in the locker room, additional personnel turnover should be expected in the coming weeks and months.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE TEAM'S DEFENSE?

It's no secret the Terps' defense was crippled by injuries this season.

With four probable starters — linebacker Kenny Tate, safety Matt Robinson and defensive linemen Isaiah Ross and Justin Anderson — missing the majority of the season due to injury, just three players starting all 12 games and five freshmen seeing substantial playing time, the Terps' struggles in stopping opponents were understandable.

But nobody thought it could get as bad as it did.

The Terps surrendered more than 500 yards four times this season — a threshold crossed just four times in former coach Ralph Friedgen's 10-year tenure — and gave up more than 30 points in eight of their 10 losses.

So what has to change this offseason?

Many of the Terps' problems came from poor execution in the form of missed tackles and blown assignments. But the defensive debacle this year went deeper than just execution. Don't be surprised if Edsall looks to replace first-year defensive coordinator Todd Bradford, who was a controversial hire in the first place.

WILL RANDY EDSALL CHANGE HIS WAYS?

Edsall has been widely criticized for instituting a militaristic culture and enforcing stringent rules that forbid players from wearing hats or jewelry inside the team house and mandate strict punishment for tardiness.

In light of the barrage of suspensions handed down by Edsall for violations of team rules and academic transgressions, one must wonder what's in store for him next year and beyond.

Might he have just been out to prove a point this season? Could Edsall mellow out next season?

Edsall hasn't wavered in his beliefs — "If asking people to be on time and do what's right is wrong, then I was raised the wrong way and brought up the wrong way," he said last week — but it certainly seems possible he could relax his regulations next season.

And with the expected departure of several players who haven't bought into his system and Edsall's first full recruiting class arriving in the summer, he'll likely face less resistance in the locker room next year.

Edsall's not going to change. He's set in his ways. But expect his philosophy to be better received and more effective in coming years.

cwalsh@umdbk.com