End of a (short) Era: DOB to leave Maryland

The breaking news out of College Park today is that QB Danny O’Brien has announced his intent to transfer from Maryland. Want further proof this is a big deal? Just like Stefon Diggs' commitment, this had made the front page of ESPN for their football section. DOB has yet to release a quote however in the Maryland press release DOB is said to have not been “all in” with the program. All things said this is reasonable considering the rocky three years that he has gone through at Maryland.

I want to preface any of my further comments by saying that I am very biased in writing this. I have had two separate classes with DOB as well as the opportunity to talk with him through my internship. He is a great quarterback, person and has handled himself with extreme class through the good times and the bad. He has been one of my favorite Terps since I have been on campus and even stops and talks with me when we pass one another on campus. Things like this are a reason that I will be rooting for him wherever he ends up in the future. I believe that he has a bright football and business future ahead of him and I wish him well.

The first question we should look into is why he would want to transfer. Since Danny has been on campus he has played under two head coaches, and would have been on his third offensive coordinator in the upcoming season with Locksley. Danny has said that he is looking for stability and a good football conference. I believe that Danny loved being here in the good times and even in the not good times. He really loves Maryland and has taken pride in being a Terp. He was a go to host when Maryland brought in recruits. However I think he feels it is time to move on. He will graduate at the end of the semester and as a result can transfer to any D1 or D1-AA college without sitting out a year so this is an opportune time for DOB to make his move. (More following the jump)

There has been much speculation as to where DOB will end up. Below are the consensus options that he will look at.

1. Vanderbilt-Danny has been said to still be very close to James Franklin the head coach at  Vanderbilt from his Maryland days. Franklin recruited Danny to MD and Danny had his best season under Franklin. However, Edsall has reportedly said that he would block a transfer to Vanderbilt
   
   https://twitter.com/#!/TerpsInsider/status/169132001671118849
   
   
2. Michigan State- Michigan State has always run a pro style offense very similiar to the one run under Ralph Friedgen. Danny thrived in this system and could be enticed to go back close to where he was born in St. Paul Minnestoa. 
3. Wisconsin-Wisconsin had a very successful year with NC State transfer Russell Wilson running the offense. They may want to keep this same system going with another ACC transfer QB.
4. Stanford- With Andrew Luck looking to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft who will take over the reigns is a burning question for Stanford. Danny could be compared to a poor mans Andrew Luck and could step right in and continue running the offense that Sanford ran with Luck.
5. D1-AA-The Joe Flacco route. With Danny not having to sit out a year I would doubt this occurs, however, there is the possibility that he goes to a small D1-AA school and blows up and eventually ends up in the NFL like Joe Flacco. Like I said I wouldn't bet on this, but who knows.

Where does Maryland go from here is a great question. The only other scholarship QB on the roster is C.J. Brown and baring any real surprises he will be our starter going into next season. C.J. reminds me a bit of Juice Williams who is a quarterback who had success under Locksley at Illinois. Running this spread type offense that Locksley has typially ran Brown could have some success.

The back up QB job will now be in the hands of two true freshman. I believe that Perry Hills from Pittsburgh Central Catholic will end up winning the job. Like Brown, Hills is a very versatile QB who has some wheels and can make plays with his feet. Caleb Rowe, a quarterback from South Carolina is someone to keep an eye on. After his signing Rowe has blown up. He has a very strong arm and is more of a pro style QB than the other two. He could very well develop into a starting QB it will probably just take some time with him initially as he didnt face much competition in high school. Outside of those three the Terps will have some practice depth with Troy Jones and James Jospeh two walk on QB's still on the roster as well as Atholton High Schools Brian McMahon who will be a preferred walk on entering the program.

The Terps are currently looking at quite a few QB's in the 2013 class. Eight are listed on ESPN recruiting page as "considering" the Terps. Of these the two that really pop out to me are Brendan Marshall from Good Counsel. This would further the pipeline that Maryland is creating with GC as well as make him very comfortable in the offense with Mike Madaras in front of him, Wes Brown at running back and Stefon Diggs out wide all of which were high school teammates. Also Shane Cockerille who is from Gilman high school in Baltimore, another powerhouse in the DC Baltimore region that Maryland should look to make ties with. This is just some random names however, 2013 recruiting is just beginning with Maryland only having one commitment at this point. Who the Terps will bring in is still very much up in the air and only time will tell.

One final point is that along with DOB, Max Garcia and Mario Rowson also announced their intent to transfer today. With Garcia leaving along with the exit of R.J. Dill earlier this off season Maryland has lost both of its starting tackles for next season. Next years offensive line will be another young one, and whoever is lining up at QB may face some problems staying upright. If this is true maybe C.J. Brown will be the better and safer bet going into the season.

Was Danny O'Brien going to be the starter next season? I dont know. How successful would he have been next year? I dont know. Many questions are still out there regarding his transfer. What I do know is this, O'Brien has been a great member of the Terps football team and the University of Maryland as a whole. He portrayed himself and the team is a very positive manner throughout his tenure as a Terp. He will be missed both as a leader, player, student and at large member of the community. Us here at O's Bros and Natty Bohs wish O'Brien well in his future endevers wherever that may be. Danny will always be one of my favorite Terps from my time on campus.

Some highlights of Danny's freshman year to leave everyone with. The O'Brien to Smith connection will always be one of the better ones in Terps history. 

-VEB