COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Kasim Hill and Tyrrell Pigrome, once and (probably) future Maryland starting quarterbacks, completed underhanded passes to each other early in Wednesday’s practice. They wore matching braces on their right knees and alternated working on their lateral movement.
It was one of the initial public glimpses of them — or any Terrapins player — in the nearly two weeks of preseason camp. Neither quarterback, both coming off serious knee injuries suffered last September, both presumably in contention to play this season, drew much attention.
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That’s atypical by college football standards. But Maryland’s situation as it continues to cope with offensive lineman Jordan McNair’s death two months ago is far from normal.
McNair suffered heatstroke during a May 29 team workout and died June 13. Coach DJ Durkin and two members of Maryland’s athletic training staff have been placed on administrative leave, while head strength and conditioning coach Rick Court resigned this week in the wake of ESPN’s investigative report Friday.
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada was named interim head coach Saturday, and he noted the presence of two cooling tents when he spoke to reporters Wednesday.
The tents included fans, liquids and bench seating in addition to shade. They were located at opposite ends of the team’s practice facility.
“We have water, Gatorade, snacks in the breaks, all those things,” Canada said. “I think our practices have been extremely crisp. The focus of our player’s health and safety is No. 1, and our players are feeling that and understanding that and that’s our primary focus.”
Canada said Mason Baggett, the assistant strength and conditioning coaching for football/performance coordinator, is now in charge of the team’s strength program. Athletic trainers have been drawn from inside and outside the athletic department to help with practice.
Athletic director Damon Evans said in a news conference Tuesday the school has changed how it practices, including the addition of additional breaks and cooling stations. Evans served as the school’s acting athletic director from October until June 26, when he was named to the position full time.
Media members were permitted to watch the first 30 minutes of Wednesday’s practice. The school did not make any players available for comment.
The task of shepherding the Terps through the program’s greatest degree of scrutiny in recent memory — if ever — for the moment belongs to Canada, a well-traveled longtime assistant who has never been a head coach. He arrived at Maryland in January.
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“I’m the offensive coordinator,” Canada said. “I’m still an assistant coach. We’re working through this process. There’s a review and all those things going on. I think it’s a different situation. Every season is different. This is certainly a challenging situation. The focus of that is we’re all still grieving for Jordan. That’s what we’re focusing on as an entire program.”
Less than three weeks remain before Maryland opens the season against Texas in Landover, and Canada insisted the Terps’ players have stuck together through a trying period. He’s also met briefly with about 40 defensive players since becoming interim head coach to emphasize they can come to him if they need anything.
Canada said he has received some questions from parents and plans to meet with them Saturday, when the team is scheduled to scrimmage.
“Everybody’s concerns right now are very wide-ranging,” Canada said. “It’s (probably) not what you guys want to talk about. Our parents and our players want to have a good football season, and that’s what they’re focused on.”
Evans and university president Wallace Loh met with McNair’s parents Tuesday morning to apologize for the loss of their son. Loh said in a press conference Tuesday “the university assents legal and moral responsibility for the mistakes that our training staff made,” including a failure to both take McNair’s temperature and apply cold water immersion treatment.
The university has two independent inquiries underway. One, led by Rod Walters, is investigating what happened the day McNair collapsed. Loh announced Tuesday the formation of a four-person commission that includes two retired U.S. district court judges to investigate accusations leveled against Durkin and the program tied to bullying and intimidation.
It is uncertain when the school will make a final decision on Durkin’s status.
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“I’ve talked to Coach Durkin to call him and support him in a situation that’s really challenging, and that’s as far as I’m going to go with that,” Canada said.
Besides an unusually large media turnout Wednesday for a program that often draws modest attention in the Baltimore/Washington area, there was little unusual about the on-field activities. Linemen participated in blocking drills and offensive skill position players worked on ball security.
Outside attention, however, is likely to remain centered on the environment in which the Terps go about their business for some time to come.
“Our culture right now is great,” Canada said. “Our culture right now is awesome. Our kids are excited to practice, excited to play. They’re loving each other. At times, are we grieving for Jordan? We are. But our culture right now is really, really good. Our staff is working to continue to make it better.”