James Franklin

COLLEGE PARK - James Franklin arrived as Maryland's offensive coordinator with gaudy numbers. The Kansas State offense he shaped as coordinator averaged 35.2 points and 284 passing yards in 2007. It was an offense in which the players seemed to have fun. That wasn't the case at Maryland, at least not during this season's first two games, in which Franklin's version of the West Coast offense averaged 14 points. But something clicked on for the Terps in the third game against California.

COLLEGE PARK - -The game wasn't over, nor was the season, but Keith Gray had seen enough. A season-ticket holder since Ralph Friedgen's first season as coach at Maryland, Gray is typical of many fans when it comes to the decision about Friedgen's future at his alma mater. "If they fire Friedgen, they need to get rid of the whole bunch," Gray said as he walked out of Byrd Stadium on Saturday night toward the end of a 19-17 loss to Boston College. "But give 'em another year. They can't afford to fire 'em, can they?"

COLLEGE PARK - -University of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen says he might want to remain in his post for up to five more years if the team is performing well - a move that could complicate the school's coaching succession plan. Friedgen, 62, said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun that he might want to stay beyond the three years for which he is under contract. On Feb. 6, the university signed an agreement promising to pay $1 million to offensive coordinator James Franklin - who has turned down coaching jobs at other schools and in the NFL - if he is not elevated to head coach by Jan. 2, 2012.

COLLEGE PARK - -When a Division I college football team struggles, the most vocal portion of the fan base tends to make itself heard. That's the case at Maryland, where coach Ralph Friedgen and his staff have been a target of criticism in blogs and on message boards as the Terrapins have slipped to 2-6 overall (1-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) - his fewest victories this late in a season since taking over the program in 2001. While Friedgen has the support of a number of prominent boosters, his critics say Maryland's football program, which had a bye this weekend before playing Saturday at North Carolina State, needs new leadership.

From Tracking the Terps: It took a few days, but the news is finally official. Maryland offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting James Franklin will be Vanderbilt's next head football coach. He'll be introduced during a press conference at 2 p.m. Here's the news release from Vanderbilit. Nashville, Tenn. Ã?Â?Ã?Â? James Franklin, one of the nation's top offensive coordinators and recruiters, is a head coach-in-waiting no longer. Franklin, assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Maryland, will will be introduced Friday as the 27th head coach in Commodore football history by Vanderbilt Chancellor Nick Zeppos and Vice Chancellor of Student Athletics David Williams II. "Improving our football program is a high priority at Vanderbilt and the first step in the process was to identify just the right person to lead us," Williams said.

One-time Maryland "coach in waiting" James Franklin is now the head football coach at Vanderbilt, where he recently decided to give his team a break from practice by taking them bowling. When he announced it, the team went crazy. No one went more bonkers than Franklin himself. Thankfully, we have video of it. Unreliable sources tell me that Maryland football coach Randy Edsall tried a similar motivational ploy, but “Let's go get crew cuts!” didn't have the same appeal as “Let's go bowling!

James Franklin Sifford, a retired Baltimore firefighter who stressed the value of an education and helped his children attain their academic goals, died of heart failure Wednesday at his Woodmoor home. He was 63. Mr. Sifford was born in Baltimore and raised near Druid Hill Park. After graduation from Douglass High School in 1959, he became a pediatric psychiatry aide at what is now University of Maryland Medical Center. He joined the city Fire Department in 1966 and spent more than 20 years as a firefighter and driver at Engine Co. 46 on Reisterstown Road.

Vanderbilt is talking to Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin about becoming its next head football coach, and Franklin has indicated he wants the job, according to officials with knowledge of the process. If Franklin signs with Vanderbilt, it would mean the end of Maryland's nearly two-year-old plan to have him succeed Ralph Friedgen as Maryland coach when Friedgen's contract expires at the end of the 2011 season. It would raise questions about whether Maryland would grant Friedgen an extension once his planned replacement left the school.

On March 25, 2009, JAMES FRANKLIN WHITTAKER, beloved husban of Gloria Jean (nee DePasquale) Whittaker, devoted father of Susan Gereli and her husband Akhan "Mike", loving grandfather Ashley Nicole and Michael Anthony Gereli, brother of Michael Whittaker. Funeral from the Lassahn Funeral Home (Overlea), 7401 Belair Road, on Saturday at 11am. Visiting Friday 2-4 and 7-9pm. Interment Gardens of Faith Cemetery.

Maryland's split personality Maryland is 5-0 at home and 1-3 on the road. Offensive coordinator James Franklin said, "You go into somebody else's stadium, it's a different deal." One thing Franklin has noticed is that his older players tend to adjust better to playing away from Byrd. Senior Danny Oquendo, for example, says he likes it when opposing fans boo the Terps. He says it motivates him to play well. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/terpsblog)