Photo by indyumd.

Written by DCist contributor Brett Gellman

Yesterday marked the start of fall camp for the Maryland Terrapins football team, and practice had to be pushed back to 7 p.m. due to the sweltering heat. But the scheduling adjustment is just a tiny reflection of the large changes the program has undergone since the Terps concluded a wildly inconsistent 8-5 season with a victory over Nevada in the Humanitarian Bowl last December.

The most visible change would be that of head coach Ralph Friedgen. The Fridge, now in his ninth year with the program, has shed over 100 pounds, and has plans to lose 50 more thanks in part to a strict diet he started late last year. If he keeps going at this rate, do fans start dubbing him the “Mini-Fridge”?

As for the actual football, the Terrapins hired former Massachusetts head coach Don Brown to take over as defensive coordinator after Chris Cosh left to take the same job at Kansas State. Brown employs a more aggressive scheme and his system will be a huge contrast from the passive, prevent defense Maryland used during Cosh’s tenure.

Another major adjustment will be dealing with the loss of a whopping 30 seniors from last season’s team, the largest class Fridge has ever graduated. Not only did the Terps lose star wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey to the Raiders as a Top 10 draft pick, but the once veteran-laden offensive line now boasts only two returning starters. This unit is the biggest question marking going into the season by far.