From coaching history to recruiting battles, ties between Penn State and Maryland football run strong
Maryland and Penn State’s connections run deeper than surface level.
Not only is Maryland Stadium located just 187 miles away from Beaver Stadium, but their two head coaches — Mike Locksley and James Franklin — have a history together, serving under former Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen from 2000-02 as assistants and the 2000 season under head coach Ron Vanderlinden.
Now, the head coaching duo are locked into a recruiting battle that spans not only the two bordering states that each school is located in, but the surrounding region. Penn State is winning the battle on the recruiting trail and on the football field — holding a 40–3–1 record against their Mid-Atlantic rivals, only losing Nov. 1, 2014 (20-19) and last season on Nov. 7, 2020 (35-19). They will take their battle to the field at Maryland Stadium on Saturday, as both teams are locked in with 5-3 records.
Penn State left tackle Rasheed Walker is a perfect example of the recruiting rivalry, even before Locksley got back to Maryland. The Waldorf, Maryland, native was scouted by both Maryland and Penn State. When the former four-star North Point offensive tackle had to make his choice, he visited Penn State on Dec. 8, 2017 and followed up with Maryland on Dec. 15 the following week.
“I was recruited heavily by Maryland when Tyler Bowen was there,” Walker said on Tuesday. “I also have a lot of good relationships with players and coaches there. So, it’s always cool to share the field with those guys — it’s the one time we get to share it a year. It’ll also be cool to smell the Maryland air because it hits different. But it’s going to be a good feeling to be back home playing and especially knowing how many of my family members will be able to be at the game because of how close it is to them because I am from Maryland.”
Walker isn’t the only player who has been recruited by either Maryland or Locksley himself. Standout wide receiver Jahan Dotson is also someone that Locksley had his eye on as an assistant at Alabama. The current Maryland head coach has a great deal of respect for the players on the opposite end of the field come Saturday.
“They’ve got all types of weapons on offense with Jahan Dotson, who I know from having recruited him back in the day,” Locksley said on Monday. “They’ve got quite a few weapons. Both tight ends are really good players. Parker (Washington) in the slot is a big-time weapon as well as the three running backs, Noah Cain and Keyvone Lee all have done some great things to contribute offensively. They do a lot. They win games. They’re positive in their turnover ratio, they lead the Big Ten in red zone defense. So we’ll have a great challenge with a good team.”
Recruiting clash between Maryland and Penn State
The Nittany Lions have 21 players who have either played high school football in Maryland or hailed from the state. Maryland has seven players who played high school football in Pennsylvania. Penn State’s 2022 recruiting class holds three commits from Maryland — McDonogh defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, DeMatha safety KJ Winston and St. Frances offensive lineman Andre Roye. Malvern Prep offensive lineman Coltin Deery is Maryland’s lone recruit from Pennsylvania.
McDonogh head coach Hakeem Sule understands Franklin’s foothold on the state. The former Maryland linebacker (2006-09) was able to see Franklin coach up close and personally as a player. Franklin served as Maryland’s associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks, from 2008-10 and Sule saw him doggedly recruit the state then.
Now, Sule has seen the other end of Franklin’s recruiting as a high school coach. Former McDonogh players have gone on to play for and work on Penn State’s staff — offensive lineman Will Knutsson, defensive tackles Dvon Ellies and PJ Mustipher, outside linebacker Curtis Jacobs and national recruiting coordinator Kenny Sanders. Dennis-Sutton is set to enter the fold next season and other players, such as Class of 2023 defensive end Mason Robinson and offensive lineman Antonio Tripp, have generated offers from the program.
“It helps a lot,” Sule said in June. “He’s been very familiar with the school, he’s very familiar with the league that we play in and the competition. With their location being approximately three hours away, he’s able to get down here and see those guys and stand on the sidelines for Friday night football games. As long as I can remember, it’s been a good pipeline for Penn State. Given the location of the university in comparison to the region, it’s not far away and you get an opportunity to play Big Ten football. For as long as I can recall, Baltimore has been a hotbed for Penn State.”
Jacobs is especially excited to see his old teammates. He has been friends with former McDonogh cornerback Dante Trader Jr. for years.
“It’s definitely going to be fun,” Jacobs said. “[I’m] going home, seeing my family, seeing Trader — my boy Dante. It’s going to be fun, but at the end of the day, it’s just preparation and execution.”
Battle for the MIAA
A number of Sule’s players have also gone on to his alma mater, as well. McDonogh athlete Preston Howard is a 2022 commit to Maryland, while Trader Jr. is a current Terrapin. Kicker Harrison Beattie transferred home to Maryland after signing with Oregon initially. McDonogh receiver DeJuan Ellis also plays for Maryland. Former Maryland and McDonogh offensive guard Ellis McKennie played for the Terrapins from 2015-2019. He was recruited by Locksley at the time, as the latter served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Randy Edsall from 2011-15.
“[Local players being here] went into my decision a lot,” Howard said in February when he committed to Maryland. “I know a lot of the guys that are committed there. I know what those guys can do up there and growing up playing in the MYFL (Maryland Youth Football & Cheer League), I’ve known those guys for so long. I’ve known the talent on the team and that really impacted my decision just knowing that I’m coming in already having chemistry with these guys and knowing what they can do.”
McDonogh isn’t the only school in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) that has sent players to either school. Calvert Hall defensive end Daniel Owens is committed to Maryland’s 2022 class, so are Archbishop Spalding linebacker Kellan Wyatt and athlete Lavain Scruggs. Former St. Frances outside linebackers Zion Shockley, Terrance Butler Jr., fullback Joe Bearns, offensive lineman Ja’Khi Green and starting left tackle Jaelyn Duncan, along with Archbishop Spalding defensive back Jayon Venerable, Mount Saint Joseph linebacker Ahmad McCullough, John Carroll running back Roman Hemby and Severn School defensive back Owura Berko are all from the same league. Many of them were recruited by both Locksely and Franklin.
Owens’ head coach Josh Ward saw him decided between the two schools. When Sutton committed and there were a number of other defensive ends that were also committed to Penn State’s program, Owens felt that he was at home with Maryland and Locksley’s program, but it was a very tough decision between the two schools. Former Baltimore Ravens defensive back Anthony Poindexter, who serves as Franklin’s safeties coach, was heavily involved in Owens’ recruitment. However, Maryland put on a full-court press to edge out Penn State.
“Coach Poindexter and I spoke a bunch about Daniel, but Maryland — coach Stewart was talking to me weekly about Daniel and the same with Brian Williams, the D-line coach,” Ward said. “Then, coach Williams came up to see Daniel earlier in the year for a game and spoke to Daniel. So, I think Maryland was really heavy on him and did a really good job of recruiting him and driving home the whole league-oriented atmosphere of Maryland. I think that kind of sold Daniel on Maryland.”
The battle and familiarity between runs deeper than the current recruiting clash between the two Big Ten foes.
The intertwining destinies of Franklin and Locksley
Franklin still has fond memories of being on Vanderlinden’s coaching staff and learning from former Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow, who served in the position from 1994-2010. Current Oklahoma State head coach and alum Mike Gundy also served on Vanderlinden’s staff as wide receivers and passing game coordinator, prior to taking over as associate head coach and offensive coordinator at his alma mater.
“Mike Gundy was on that staff, too,” Franklin said. “A lot of guys came out of that staff. I was fortunate to be there — learned a ton from Debbie Yow, as the athletic director at the time. She’s been like a mentor to me throughout my career and somebody that I call when I have questions. Obviously under Ralph Friedgen, I learned a ton from him and we had a bunch of success there.
“I think that the time that I spent there, on and off, for eight years as a receiver coach, which was kind of my first big-time job and then as their recruiting coordinator and then coming back as the offensive coordinator — I spent a lot of time there. My daughter was born there. I still have a lot of friends and relationships there.”
Vanderlinden hired Locksley as running backs coach in 1997 and he took on a role as the recruiting coordinator under Vanderlin from 1998-2000 and continued to hold the same position with Friedgen until 2002. Franklin was then brought in as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator and kept the position until 2004, prior to serving in the same role as receivers coach with the Green Bay Packers in 2005. Franklin moved onto Kansas State from 2006-07 to assume the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under then-head coach Ron Prince.
The onset of the Friedgen era
Prior to Vanderlinden’s dismissal in Nov. 2000, Yow approached Franklin, Locksley and centers/guards coach Elliot Uzelac on a possible return under a new head coach. Vanderlinden went on to coach the linebackers at Penn State from 2001–13.
“When Ron Vanderlinden left in 2000, I went to James, Mike Locksley and Elliot Uzelac — who was much older than them and far more experienced and I asked the three of them to stay, while we searched for a head coach,” Yow recalled. “Each of the three agreed to it. When coach Friedgen was hired, I asked him if he would interview each one of them. It was a promise that I made to them that the new coach will interview them and they’ll have a shot at staying on. He [Friedgen] ended up keeping coach Franklin and coach Locksley and went on in another direction as an offensive line coach.”
Locksley went on to depart Maryland for the same position under head coach Ron Zook at Florida in 2003-04. Following Zook to Illinois, Locksley was promoted to offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for the 2005 season and served as Illinois’ quarterbacks coach, in addition to his duties as offensive coordinator from 2006-08. He went on to take his first head coaching position at New Mexico, where he compiled a 2-26 record from 2009-11 and was dismissed following the latter season.
Franklin went on to return to Maryland from 2008-10, as Locksely was Illinois’ offensive coordinator and eventually served in the role of head coach for New Mexico.
A great deal of what the two did at Maryland was build relationships. That’s something that they continue to do until this day, keeping in touch with former players at either their current schools or places they’ve coached.
One of those players is two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver Torrey Smith. Smith played for Franklin’s offense at Maryland when Friedgen served as the head coach. With Franklin at the helm from 2008-10, Smith compiled 152 catches for 2,215 receiving yards and 19 receiving touchdowns.
Smith had a strong relationship with Franklin, calling him “a great leader” and saying, “he taught us a lot about the game.” While Smith was there, he felt that he was more prepared with running an NFL-style offense because of what Franklin required in his scheme.
“Besides him being a guy that you could talk to about things beyond the game and where you want to go, he also helped my football knowledge as well with his experience at the pro level and college level,” Smith said. “He was definitely great and we still have a great relationship to this day.”
Head coach-in-waiting?
Friedgen was getting ready to enter his 10th season in 2010. Clayton Daniel Mote Jr., who served as Maryland’s president from 1998-2010 announced that he would be retiring. Mote Jr. currently serves as President Emeritus of the National Academy of Engineering. At that time, Yow didn’t know who would be the next president of Maryland. During that time, Yow was approached by North Carolina State, which is in her home state and where her older sister — the late Kay Yow — had compiled a 737–344 record (.682) and was admitted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and her younger younger sister — Susan Yow — had become the first All-American in any women’s sport at NC State.
The roots were deep for Debbie Yow and she had personal reasons, such as the death of her older sister in Jan. 24, 2009, to return home. It made sense for the middle Yow sister to be closer to home and accept a position as North Carolina State’s athletic director under current president Randy Woodson. As the uncertainty mounted in one area for her at Maryland, the security of North Carolina State offered a chance to start anew and refresh her bond with the state.
Before the 2010 season, Friedgen promised Yow that he would turn things around. He finished the year 2-10 with the Terrapins, but immediately followed up with an 8-4 record, an Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year Award and a Military Bowl victory over East Carolina. As far as Yow was concerned, Friedgen’s job was secure.
Current Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris served on the same Kansas Staff that Franklin joined in 2006 as the defensive coordinator. The two are close, with Morris being the godparent to Franklin’s two daughters. Franklin was offered a position as Morris’ top assistant when he was hired as the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009. However, Franklin was offered a $1 million bonus and had an agreement in place with Maryland’s administration that he would take over as Maryland’s head coach in January 2012.
“It wasn’t like it was in question. It was getting ready to happen — it was imminent,” Yow said of Franklin’s head coach-in-waiting agreement. “And coach Friedgen said, ‘I can’t lose him,’. We talked about what it was that James wanted, which was some security related to the future there [at Maryland]. When Ralph would retire, he would like to be head coach. I was perfectly comfortable with the idea — I really was. There was an advantage to that. There were several head coaches-in-waiting at that time, but I just thought about the advantage of knowing what you’re getting because you see a person’s work ethic every day and you see their habits.”
However, Maryland eventually hired Wallace Loh as the president and Loh brought in former Stanford athletic director Kevin Anderson. Many new athletic directors would like to make their own hires at the head coaching position.
“Maybe if I had been there, he would’ve gotten a contract extension,” Yow said. “When you’re ACC Coach of the Year, it’s not that unusual, is it? We would’ve figured it out. James was head coach-in-waiting, Ralph and I both signed that contract and wanted to be sure that this was not something that was done without the support of the head coach. But things took a turn, I took another job and they had to get a new athletic director and like any new AD, he wants to do things his way. I knew he wanted to go in another direction with both Ralph and James as well and those things happen.”
Smith was weighing whether or not he’d return to school following the 2010 season. Following Friedgen’s strong year, the thought was that he’d return as head coach to the program. Things began to slowly change for the worst for Maryland — Franklin left to Vanderbilt for his first head coaching role and offered positions to four other members of Friedgen’s staff. With their head coach-in-waiting gone, the writing was on the wall for for the long-time Maryland head coach.
“When the decision was made, everybody was gone,” Smith recalled. “I wasn’t very happy about that back then and I’m glad that everything is great at Maryland now, but when that [decision] was made — you think about when you’re a college kid that the coaches that helped bring you in, the coaches that had you a game away from the ACC Championship Game — now they’re gone. The future coach is gone. Coach Franklin wasn’t guaranteed there.
“It was tough being a younger guy. For me, I was on the fence of staying or going pro anyway, so it didn’t matter to me that much [in that decision], but I definitely remember the awkward silence of finding that out that coach Friedgen was going to be out as the head coach when I was out taking a nap. It was before I was dealing with recruits a couple hours later.”
New beginnings for Franklin and multiple returns to Maryland for Locksley
Franklin went on to become the new head coach for Vanderbilt, where he compiled a 24-15 record from 2011-13 and went 2-1 in bowl games. He went 9-4 in both 2012 and 2013 and had a 5-3 record in Southeastern Conference play in 2012. Franklin was then approached by Penn State, following their head coaching vacancy with Bill O’Brien’s departure to the Houston Texans. Franklin took the job and was bought out of his contract at Vanderbilt. Franklin has since put together a 65-31 record and a 40-26 record in conference play at Penn State — holding a 3-3 bowl record.
With Locksley looking for a new position following his firing, he returned to Maryland as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Edsall from 2011-15 and took over as interim head coach in 2015. Locksley doggedly recruited the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas, both places he called home as a Towson State alumni and as a native of southeast D.C. Following his departure of Maryland for a second time, Locksley served as an offensive analyst under Alabama head coach Nick Saban in 2016. Then, he took over as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2017 — winning a national championship, before taking over as the lone offensive coordinator in 2018.
On Dec. 4, 2018, Locksley made his return to Maryland. He’s been charged with leading the team in a turnaround and holds an 11-20 record with the program. If he were to win on Saturday, it would be Maryland’s first time being bowl-eligible since 2016.
Despite never playing for Locksley, Smith is excited where the program is headed under his tenure. The two have conversations regularly about different topics including life, family, kids, the football program at Maryland and what Locksley is hoping to accomplish. Smith remains thankful that he has both Franklin and Locksley in his corner.
“Locks is my man. I never played for Locks, though,” Smith said. “You wouldn’t know that based on our relationship, though. I love what he’s doing at Maryland, I think he’s the right man for the job. I think he’s the right guy to try get some of these guys from the DMV [D.C., Maryland and Virginia] back around and change the trajectory of the program. It’s going to take some time, but I believe he’s the right man for it.”
Yow, now retired, is excited for both coaches. Despite their recruiting and coaching battles on the field, Yow holds a sense of pride in the former Maryland assistants.
“It’s delightful to see both of them be head coaches,” Yow said. “I know that it meant a lot to Mike to get the job at Maryland. It was personal, having been raised in the District [of Columbia] and having come to Maryland games as a young person. For James getting Penn State, he’s from Pennsylvania. I know he has aunts up that way. I thought that it was kind of neat that it’s Penn State — his home state. It’s obviously a demanding job and probably the most demanding, given the history of success, but it’s nice that he’s returned to his home state.”
With the two preparing to face each other for another time, it could be the final time that Franklin takes on Locksley at Penn State’s head coach. Franklin has been at the head of rumors for USC’s coaching vacancy, has changed agents and the NFL advisory committee has recommended him for an NFL head coaching candidacy. As the team is in the midst of the season, questions have swirled around the coaching future of Penn State’s program. Just like Franklin’s situation at Maryland as the head coach-in-waiting, taking the Vanderbilt head coaching position and eventually the same at Penn State, he has the opportunity to find the best fit for his family and his coaching career.
Regardless of whether Franklin remains at Penn State, the roots have been planted for the ties between the two schools and their surrounding areas to remain strong.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 6:31 PM.
