Quotes from National Signing Day Press Conference
2/6/2008 7:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 6, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, MD -
Maryland Head Coach Ralph Friedgen on:
On the local make-up of this year's class: Now where you look through this whole list, out of the 20 kids, 10 are from this area. So much has been made of us recruiting in this area. I think that our coaches did an outstanding job and I think we got the guys that we really wanted to get this year.
On the needs that were filled: Defensive line was an area I thought that we needed. Offensive line I like where we are, but we are losing five guys next year and we have some guys waiting in the wings. I feel pretty good everywhere else. We are solid on the tight end. We have a lot of receivers and maybe some of them can help us on the other side of the ball. We will have to see. I think getting the quarterback was a big get for us, because right now we have a senior and two juniors, and then we have a redshirt freshman, so we needed another guy coming on there. But other than that, I'm pretty happy where we are. The other thing that I feel good about is the number of kids that we have academically that are really solid.
On Kevin Dorsey's character Unbelievable. The best probable way to say it is that if you had a child, you would like them to model after this kid. Right from the beginning, when I met him, I could see what type of individual he was. His mom and dad brought him over here and I sat down with him and talked to him for about an hour and I could just see the character and the goal-oriented type of person he is, and then I just followed him all the way through his junior year. He started off at quarterback and then they made him a wide receiver. The game that I saw him at, he was playing offense and defense. To me, the more character you surround yourself with, the better that you are going to be. He is definitely one of those guys. We let him on our team and I think that is really a great addition for us.
On the importance on character in recruits I just think that it is very, very important to get guys who not only want to be very good football players but also want to graduate from college. I think accountability and responsibility are very, very important. I look at my job not just as winning football games, although ultimately that is what I'm judged on, but I want to prepare these kids for life. I treat them like they are my own children. When they are finished and leave our football program, I want them to excel in whatever they want to excel in. Hopefully they will take some life skills from what they learned in our program and add that to the education that they learn here at the University of Maryland.
I want them to find something that they are passionate about and go and study that. If they do, they will be successful. And not only that, it will be enjoyable. We have enough majors here at that school that you can do that. We have an excellent program in Letters and Sciences in which they can find what meets their needs, what really excites them. When I see that happen, I really get a lot of pleasure out of it because school takes on a whole new dimension. Take Vernon Davis. Vernon found art. He didn't even know he had artistic ability. We go out to the Emerald Bowl, and I see him selling his paintings out there now. So you find what you like. I am very much behind him.
On Maryland's wide receiver situation I think they should be the strength of our football team. And not only do we have guys like Darrius (Heyward-Bey) and Danny Oquendo and Isaiah Williams, but we have a bunch of guys coming up who are going to push those guys. And now with a couple of guys that we have added here, it is definitely a position of depth and strength. I'm expecting them to excel and that is why I have people in here to help them do that.
