Randy Edsall needs to prove he’s the right guy for Maryland football

If he truly has learned something, then put it to use.

“There’s no question, I know more today about the environment [at Maryland] than when I started,” Edsall said. “And when you start in a new situation, there are things you have to find out.

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“There are things you have to figure out. Once you do, what you do is . . . you adapt your framework. You tweak some things. I can do that. But you still follow those core values that you believe in.”

Edsall will go only so far. Smoothing rough edges doesn’t mean completely starting over, he says.

If high-profile members of the team decide to transfer because Edsall won’t bend enough for them, “then I can’t control that. If there are young people in our program who might not think that they can fit in here academically, football-wise or socially, and if they think that it’s in their best interests to move on or to go to another school, I can’t control that.

“What we’re trying to do, what’s important to me and important to us as a staff, is trying to prepare them for life. We’re trying to make them the best football players they can be and the best students they can be. That’s all any parent could want from a coaching staff for their son. I’m not going to change that. I won’t do that.”

Although injuries were only partly responsible for Maryland’s regression, they were a factor. Edsall’s message, which clearly didn’t resonate well, may come across better with next season’s team — especially if Edsall improves his delivery.

And Edsall is confident he still has an ally in Anderson, which helps.

“We’re in this together,” Edsall said. “It’s not always going to be good times, but being together is what helps you get through them. . . . We’re both in lockstep in terms of moving forward.”

This week, there have been some encouraging signs about Maryland’s recruiting class, and Edsall “really believes that when it’s all said and done [with the class], the fans and the supporters of Maryland football will be very happy and very pleased.”

Edsall needs many victories. He would clearly benefit from a long, successful stretch. He has to get started first.