Lions coach: Zeller "still committed to Maryland"
For now at least, Andrew Zeller is still a Maryland commit. Red Lion football coach Pat Conrad said Monday his star lineman remains committed to the Terrapins, despite the school's announcement earlier in the day that it had fired Ralph Friedgen as its football coach. "We've certainly been going over the whole situation since last Tuesday, when things started to unfold," Conrad said. "He's still committed to Maryland and waiting to see what happens there." Friedgen was officially fired Monday, ending nearly a week of speculation about the coach's job status. Zeller, No. 77 in the above picture, vebally committed to Maryland in July, spurning written offers from Duke, Rutgers and Oregon. The 6-foot-6, 286-pound senior was a two-way force for Red Lion this season, piling up 67 tackles and a team-high 7 sacks. The Lions (10-4) advanced to the District 3 Class AAAA title game, becoming just the second YAIAA team to do so. Zeller, who could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon, is rated a three-star recruit by Scout.com. He followed the Terrapins while growing up in Carroll County, Md., and moved with his family to Red Lion five years ago. "He really likes Maryland," Conrad said. "He likes the school, the atmosphere and what they're doing with the program. His scholarship offer is still there. "He's committed to Maryland right now, and that's basically where we're at." Friedgen has a 74-50 record in 10 years at his alma mater. He guided Maryland to an 8-4 record this season, and will stay on to coach the team in the Military Bowl on Dec. 29. Zeller is not the first Division I recruit from the area to deal with coaching uncertainty. Two weeks ago, Dave Wannstedt's resignation at Pittsburgh in part prompted Dallastown linebacker Ben Kline's decision to switch his verbal commitment from Pitt to Penn State.