Friedgen's contract bought out

The decade-long tenure of Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen has reached an end.

After days of speculation regarding Friedgen's future at this university, Athletics Director Kevin Anderson finally announced what many thought imminent: Friedgen will not be returning next season, and the $2 million remaining on his contract will be bought out by the Athletics Department.

At a press conference inside Comcast Center that included University President Wallace Loh, Anderson said the university made "a strategic business decision" to buy out the final year of Friedgen's contract, effective Jan. 2, 2011, which amounts to nearly $2 million.

Anderson emphasized the funds needed to buy out Friedgen's contract would not come from the pockets of the state's taxpayers.

"The monies necessary to fulfill Ralph's and his current coaches contracts will be paid entirely by the Department of Athletics. … through revenue generation, private fundraising and strategic business decisions," Anderson said. "It is important to underscore and to understand that there will not be any state taxpayer money used to pay this buyout."

Anderson said that a search for Friedgen's replacement will begin immediately, and that he expects to form a search committee by the end of Monday. He added that the university could hire an outside firm to guide the coaching search.

A new coach is expected to be hired by Jan. 4, Anderson said, and could come before the Terps play in the Military Bowl on Dec. 29.

Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has emerged as the frontrunner for the job, and Orangebloods.com has reported the deal to be already done. Although Anderson said no one has been contacted yet, he did concede that Leach is being considered.

"Right now, there is no leading candidate. This afternoon I will sit down and talk to a search firm," Anderson said. "I do have a list, and Mike Leach is on that list."

The Athletics Department made the decision to buy out Friedgen's contract after it learned coach-in-waiting James Franklin was considering taking the vacant coaching job at Vanderbilt. Anderson said that Friedgen told him he did not want to be a "lame-duck coach," and understood that it would be impossible to bring in top-tier assistant coaches and recruits with only one year remaining on his contract.

"[Franklin's] decision changed our coaching and recruiting infrastructure," Anderson said. "It became clear that we needed to make a well thought out business decision about the long-term direction and success of the football program at the University of Maryland."

All but Franklin from the Terps' coaching staff will coach the Terps in the Military Bowl when the team faces off against East Carolina next week, according to Anderson.