Report: Terps to hire Chad Wilt as defensive line coach

Testudo Times first reported the news on Saturday afternoon, though Maryland officials have not responded to requests for comment. An official release is not expected until all open positions have been filled and the new-look staff can be announced together. Reached by e-mail, Wilt deferred all questions to Maryland, saying he is currently still at Ball State in Muncie, Ind., and headed to the AFCA coaches’ convention in Indianapolis.

Though Wilt declined comment, all signs point to his hiring by Maryland. For a brief period Saturday, Wilt changed his Twitter avatar to the Maryland logo, started following the accounts of the Maryland athletic department and Coach Randy Edsall, and favorited several tweets congratulating him on the gig, including this from former defensive lineman A.J. Francis.

Wish the new UMD D-Line coach @ChadWilt all the luck in the world. He’s inheriting a great group of men, & I hope I’m still welcome back lol

— A.J. Francis (@AJFrancis410) January 11, 2014

Wilt has since changed his avatar back to a photo of himself.

Wilt, who also served as the recruiting coordinator for the Cardinals, is 35 years old and has been coaching in the college ranks since 2001, when he debuted as an assistant coach with William & Mary. Since then he has been an assistant at Central Connecticut State, a graduate assistant at Virginia and an assistant coach at Liberty, Virginia, Richmond and finally Ball State. This season, the Cardinals won 10 games, reached the GoDaddy Bowl and sacked opposing quarterbacks 27 times.

He will lead a unit that returns several key pieces, including Maryland sacks leader Andre Monroe (9.5), rising seniors Darius Kilgo and Keith Bowers, and rising junior Quinton Jefferson. Gattuso left this offseason to assume the head coaching job at Albany.