Football's transfer restrictions for O'Brien, others lifted after backlash

Randy Edsall, it seems, had heard enough.

Amid mounting criticism, the Terrapins football coach announced yesterday that he had decided to lift the transfer restrictions imposed on the scholarship releases of quarterback Danny O'Brien, offensive lineman Max Garcia and linebacker Mario Rowson.

When the three players announced their intentions to transfer Feb. 13, it soon came to light that the team would not allow them to transfer to an ACC school, any future opponents or Vanderbilt, a school the Terps haven't played since 1987 and are not scheduled to play in the near future. James Franklin, who tutored O'Brien as the Terps' quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator two seasons ago, is the head coach at Vanderbilt.

But after local and national media roundly admonished the coach for stipulating where the three could and could not transfer, Edsall chose to allow the former Terps to pursue their respective futures wherever they choose.

"While at first I thought it was important to limit the institutions to which they could transfer, I have since reconsidered my decision," Edsall said in a release yesterday. "At the end of the day, I want what's best for these guys and I wish them well in their futures.

"As a program we are looking forward to putting this distraction behind us and to moving forward."

It remains to be seen whether O'Brien, the former ACC Rookie of the Year who was benched for some of last season's 2-10 campaign, will pursue a future with Vanderbilt and Franklin, the man who initially recruited him to College Park.

The Washington Post reported yesterday that O'Brien is unlikely at this point to visit Vanderbilt, where Franklin remains under scrutiny after the Terps filed a complaint with the ACC and SEC about possible tampering by the Commodores staff.

Deputy Athletic Director Nathan Pine declined to comment on any complaint filed against Franklin, and said it was Edsall's decision to lift the restrictions.

"I am pleased to be able to move on and pursue a graduate degree and continue my athletic career at the school of my choosing," O'Brien said in the release. "I would like to thank Coach Edsall for his support throughout this process."

Other possible destinations for O'Brien, who has two years of eligibility remaining, include Florida, Wisconsin and Penn State.

cwalsh@umdbk.com