Ralph Friedgen waited 32 years to become a head coach.

It took just four months at the helm of Maryland for Friedgen to change almost everything about the program.

"I've had an entire career to plan what I wanted to do when I became a head coach so I had a lot of ideas,'' Friedgen said.

Friedgen, 54, realized a lifelong dream when he was named Maryland coach on Nov. 31. A 1969 graduate who played for the Terrapins under Jerry Claiborne and coached under Bobby Ross, Friedgen returned to College Park to discover the program hadn't made much progress since he departed with Ross in 1986.

So by the time spring practice began on March 31, the heavyset coach who doesn't mind being nicknamed "The Fridge,'' had already put his stamp on the program.

Friedgen got assurances that his assistants would be paid well, upgraded to a state-of-the-art video system, put former Maryland quarterback Boomer Esiason in charge of a fundraising campaign to cover the costs, changed the training table setup and instituted tougher conditioning sessions ... at 5:45 a.m.

"It's been a shock to the system, but we needed it,'' senior safety Tony Jackson said.

Friedgen developed a reputation as an offensive genius at Georgia Tech, which averaged 36.7 points and 444 yards during his last three seasons as coordinator. He is installing the same offensive system at Maryland, which means multiple formations, constant shifting and motion, audibles at the line of scrimmage and dozens of plays that can be run out of each offensive set.

Quarterback Shaun Hill, a junior college transfer who started the opener and final two games of 2000, showed Friedgen he had the mental capacity and physical ability to execute the offense. Hill has mediocre arm strength but is accurate and makes good decisions.

Maryland only lost three offensive starters, but one was LaMont Jordan, the school's career leading rusher with 4,147 yards. Sophomore Bruce Perry (5-9, 190) and senior Marc Riley (6-3, 225) battled to a draw during spring ball.

On defense, Maryland is undersized, inexperienced and just plain not very talented along the defensive line. Friedgen plans to play true freshman Randy Starks at the all-important nose tackle spot.

The Terps, who ranked 89th nationally in rushing defense last season, do have one of the best linebacking corps in the ACC, led by junior E.J. Henderson.

Henderson was the biggest defensive surprise of 2000, gaining a starting spot due to injury then leading the team in tackles with 109. He solidified his status as the Terps' top linebacker during spring practice, showing an incredible knack for always being around the ball and hitting like a ton of bricks.

"There's no question E.J. is the spark to our defense. He's big, strong and never lets up,'' said Gary Blackney, the former Bowling Green head coach who is Maryland's new defensive coordinator.

"E.J. plays hard and never takes a play off. He's clearly our defensive leader."

Pass coverage has been one of Maryland's major weaknesses in recent years. Good news is that Tony Okanlawon and Curome Cox return as the starting cornerbacks. Bad news is that they were repeatedly burned on deep balls last season as the Terrapins ranked 106th nationally in pass defense.

The safeties are solid; seniors Tony Jackson, Rod Littles and Randall Jones are all proven players.

Brooks Barnard is one of the nation's top returning punters after setting a single-season school record by averaging 44.7 yards per attempt last season. Neither of the kickers -- Vedad Siljkovic and Nick Novak -- distinguished themselves during spring practice.

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