2009 Maryland Terrapins football team The 2009 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland during its 57th season in the Atlantic Coast Conference . The Terrapins played in the Atlantic Division of the conference , and competed against all five divisional opponents , two Coastal Division opponents on a rotational basis , and one permanent cross - divisional rival : Virginia . The rotating Coastal Division opponents were Virginia Tech and Duke . In 2009 , Maryland played its second game of the home - to - home series against California , this year in Berkeley . The Terrapins finished the season with a record of 2 – 10 , and 1 – 7 in ACC play , and failed to qualify for a bowl game . It was the first ten - loss season in school history . Before the season . Coaching Changes . Head coach - in - waiting . On February 6 , 2009 , offensive coordinator James Franklin was officially named the head coach - in - waiting to succeed the 61 - year old Ralph Friedgen , who had three years remaining on his contract . ESPN described the move as an effort to ensure Franklin , considered a top recruiter who had had other coaching opportunities , remained with Maryland . Defensive coordinator . Upon the conclusion of the 2008 regular season , defensive coordinator Chris Cosh announced his resignation . Cosh returned to Kansas State as defensive coordinator and assistant coach to the recently re - hired Bill Snyder , who had been head coach from 1996 to 2005 . Cosh previously served under Snyder as linebackers coach from 2004 to 2005 . Outside linebackers coach Al Seamonson assumed interim defensive coordinator duties for the last game of the 2008 season , the Humanitarian Bowl , and was considered in the running for the job full - time . Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen also contacted Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green in order to gauge his interest for the position , but he declined in order to remain at Annapolis . South Carolina secondary coach was also considered , but declined in order to take a job at the same position at LSU with a $ 300 , 000 salary . On January 9 , 2009 , it was announced that Massachusetts head coach Don Brown had been hired as the new defensive coordinator . Brown had served as head coach for UMass from 2004 to 2008 , posting the best five - year record in school history , 43 – 19 . His teams were ranked amongst the top - 20 defenses in the nation three times : third in 2005 , 20th in 2006 , and 14th in 2007 . The UMass scoring defense was ranked first in 2005 and fifth in 2006 . Brown also has prior experience as a head coach at Northeastern and Plymouth State and 11 years as a defensive coordinator . In a move to address criticisms of former coordinator Chris Cosh ' s defensive system which had been characterized as overly cautious , Ralph Friedgen said about Brown : " He ' s going to be aggressive . He has a very aggressive philosophy , and he plays a different style defense than the norm . He ' s been successful against a lot of the new offenses that we ' re seeing , like the spread . He played against Navy and Georgia Southern , so he ' s faced a lot of the different styles we see , but he has a little different approach to it . " Other coaching positions . For 2009 , new defensive coordinator Don Brown will also oversee the cornerbacks , a role held in the previous season by secondary coach Kevin Lempa . Lempa will now coach only the safeties . Former inside linebackers coach Al Seamonson expanded his role to take over the entire linebacker corps . Friedgen expressed a strong desire to retain Seamonson , who lost out on the race for the defensive coordinator job . Seamonson , as interim defensive coordinator , helped coach Maryland to a 42 – 35 victory in the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl . Maryland also lost special teams and tight ends coach , Danny Pearman , to Clemson at the end of the 2008 season . Shortly after being selected as Tommy Bowden ' s permanent replacement , head coach Dabo Swinney hired Clemson alum Pearman . Pearman played at Clemson as a tight end ( 1984 – 1987 ) and coached special teams and offensive and defensive tackles while at Alabama ( 1990 – 1997 ) . Swinney himself played at Alabama during that period as a wide receiver . Key Losses . Prior to the 2009 season , Maryland lost a significant amount of experience due to graduation . Thirty seniors , the largest class of Friedgen ' s tenure , graduated after the 2008 season or otherwise concluded their eligibility . Additionally , the team lost the previous season ' s receiving leader and feature wide receiver to the NFL Draft . Starting Z - receiver Darrius Heyward - Bey announced that he would forgo his senior year in order to enter the 2009 NFL Draft on January 7 , 2009 . In just three years , Heyward - Bey had achieved the number - two spot for Maryland career receiving yards ( 2 , 089 ) , behind only Jermaine Lewis . It had been widely speculated throughout the 2008 season that the junior would likely leave for the draft , and Rivals . com , " College Football News " , " Sports Illustrated " , and ESPN projected him as an early entrant and first - round selection . He was ultimately chosen as the seventh overall pick . Mobile quarterback Josh Portis transferred to the Division II school California University of Pennsylvania for his last year of eligibility . He had been highly anticipated as a Florida transfer and a dual - threat quarterback , but had seen little action in eight games , almost exclusively put in for one option run at a time . Portis recorded one completion on three pass attempts , 31 rushing attempts for 186 yards and one touchdown . He saw a decrease in game action after the North Carolina game , where he participated in three plays including an incomplete pass to a wide open Darrius Heyward - Bey for a probable touchdown and a fumble on an option run . In February 2009 , wide receiver LaQuan Williams became academically ineligible and was dismissed from the team . Friedgen said that Williams could possibly return for the fall . Williams was injured throughout the 2008 season , but recorded a strong 2007 campaign including a crucial reception in the upset win over 10th - ranked Rutgers . The following are some of the key players who will no longer play for Maryland in the 2009 season : Offense : Defense : Special Teams : Key Returns . Maryland entered the 2009 season with just nine returning starters , the fewest in the ACC , and 56 % of its lettermen from the prior year , the lowest of any team other than the service academies . The defensive and offensive lines suffered significant attrition , but the Terrapins are considered deep at the skill positions . Senior quarterback Chris Turner was called a " big - game performer [ with ] a chance to leave an imprint on the school record books . " Maryland returned its three top running backs from 2008 : Da ' Rel Scott , Davin Meggett , and Morgan Green . Despite the loss of Heyward - Bey , the Terrapins retained a great deal of athleticism at the wide receiver position with Torrey Smith , and Ronnie Tyler replaced Danny Oquendo as a reliable third - down option . In total , Maryland entered the season with ten potential starters at wide receiver . Offense : Defense : Special Teams : Recruiting . Maryland secured several highly - touted recruits , and Rivals . com rated the recruiting class as 25th in the nation , while Scout . com ranked it 26th in the nation . Scout or Rivals . com four - star prospects included running backs Caleb Porzel and D . J . Adams , defensive lineman De ' Onte Arnett , defensive back Travis Hawkins , and offensive lineman Pete White . The class also included eight linebackers , a position which Maryland had heavily recruited in order to backfill graduated players . Offensive tackle Nick Klemm had originally planned to go to Boston College , but de - committed to sign with the Terrapins after Eagles ' head coach Jeff Jagodzinski was fired . Maryland showed a strong interest in Porzel ' s Good Counsel classmate Jelani Jenkins , the number - one ranked prospective linebacker in the nation . Jenkins narrowed his possible school selection to a field of fifteen including Maryland , before ultimately signing with Florida . Tavon Austin , a Rivals . com four - star running back from Baltimore , committed to West Virginia despite strong interest from Maryland . On February 2 , 2009 , three - star offensive tackle Ryan Schlieper de - committed from Maryland and signed with Pittsburgh . On National Signing Day , the Terps secured thirteen recruits from Maryland and Washington , D . C . Four of the Rivals . com top - ten prospects in the state signed with Maryland . ESPN graded the class as a " B− " , with the main criticism being that " too much good in - state talent has slipped away . " It also cited a failure to land a highly - rated quarterback . During the signing day news conference , Friedgen stated : " We are very happy with this class . It is a large recruiting class . I feel that it met a lot of our needs . We lost a lot of [ linebackers , offensive lineman , and defensive lineman last year ] . We were able to fill those needs with this class of players . I think that if you were to describe this recruiting class , they are a big , athletic bunch of athletes who can run and hit . They are also good students . I am really putting an emphasis on guys who can be successful in life , and who have goals that they want to achieve . . . We have 15 local - area players . There are some others that we would have liked to have , but you are never going to get all of them . We put a lot of stock in trying to recruit the local - area kids . " Schedule . In the preseason , the Terrapins were predicted to finish last ( sixth ) in the ACC Atlantic Division by both Athlon Sports and " Phil Steele ' s " , and " The Sporting News " forecast a fifth - place divisional finish for the Terps . Athlon also ranked Maryland as 57th out of the 120 Division I FBS teams . Maryland began the 2009 season with the second game of the home - and - home series at California . In Week 2 , they faced James Madison , which in 2008 advanced to the Division I FCS semi - finals . Two more home games , a rematch from 2008 against Middle Tennessee and a game against Rutgers , rounded out Maryland ' s non - conference schedule . On October 5 , 2009 , Jack Heise , an influential alumni booster and avid Terrapins fan nicknamed " Mr . Maryland " , died of a cerebral hemorrhage . The football team honored his memory by wearing Heise ' s initials on their helmets for the remainder of the 2009 season .