COLLEGE PARK, Md. – University of Maryland head football coach Randy Edsall announced the hiring of Terry Richardson as running backs coach Thursday.
Richardson brings 16 years of coaching experience to Maryland after spending the previous two seasons (2013-14) with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Terry brings a wealth of experience tutoring running backs on both the professional and college levels,” Edsall said. “He is a talented recruiter and has had a great record of developing prolific backs throughout his coaching career. I look forward to seeing the impact that he will have on our student athletes.”
Under Richardson's direction, the Jaguars finished sixth in the NFL in 2014 in yards per carry (4.5). In 2013, Richardson oversaw a running back group that featured veteran Maurice Jones-Drew (803 yards), first-year pro Jordan Todman (256 yards) and 2013 fifth-round draft pick Denard Robinson (66 yards). Jones-Drew led the team with five touchdowns while Todman produced career-best numbers.
Prior to his two seasons with the Jaguars, Richardson, a veteran of 14 years coaching experience on the collegiate level, served as the University of Miami's running backs coach and Florida recruiting coordinator from 2011-12.
Under Richardson's guidance at Miami, Duke Johnson and Lamar Miller registered two of the best seasons in the school's history by a running back. Johnson was named Freshman All-America in 2012 after rushing for a school freshman-record 947 yards and 10 touchdowns while earning Walter Camp All-America honors as a kick returner. He was named the 2012 ACC Rookie of the Year.
In 2011, Richardson coached Miller who finished with 1,272 rushing yards, the third-most in school history behind Willis McGahee (1,753) and Edgerrin James (1,416). Miller became only the eighth player in school history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a season had seven games with 100-plus rushing yards.
Prior to joining Miami, Richardson spent 12 seasons at Connecticut as running backs coach under current Maryland head coach Randy Edsall. Richardson groomed Jordan Todman who was named the 2010 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year after he ranked second in the country with 143.1 rushing yards per game. Richardson was a nominee for the 2010 Broyles Award, given to the nation's top college football assistant coaches.
In 2009, Richardson worked with two 1,000-yard rushers in Todman and All-BIG EAST second-team selection Andre Dixon. UCONN was just one of three NCAA FBS schools to boast a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. The 2008 season saw running back Donald Brown become the nation's leading rusher as he was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-America pick by the Sporting News. He became the school's first NFL first-round draft pick in 2009 as he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts.
A native of Broward (Fla.) County, Richardson was a four-year letter winner at running back for Syracuse, leading the team in rushing as a senior in 1993 and helped the Orange to three bowl berths during his career. Richardson signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1994 and also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles (1995), Kansas City Chiefs (1996) and Pittsburgh Steelers (1996-97).
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