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Edsall retains offensive line coach Brattan

Longtime offensive line coach Tom Brattan will remain with Maryland's program as part of new coach Randy Edsall's staff.

Brattan, who was an assistant for all 10 years of former coach Ralph Friedgen's tenure, is the third assistant to remain on after Edsall's hire. Defensive coordinator Don Brown and wide receivers coach Lee Hull are also returning.

For much of the last decade, Brattan has cobbled together capable lines despite depth limitations, and also factored in as a capable recruiter in Virginia's Tidewater area and in Georgia.

He'll return four starters on the line next season, in addition to a pair of part-time starters who suffered season-ending injuries (Justin Gilbert and Pete DeSouza). The Terrapins' offensive line will return 75 career starts in 2011, the unit's most since the 2008 line brought 77 career starts into the season.

Brattan's retention and the reported (though unannounced) hiring of Gary Crowton as offensive coordinator move Edsall closer to the completion of his staff, which in addition to the three holdovers include these additions (2010 job in parentheses):

Defensive line: Greg Gattuso (Pittsburgh defensive line)
Offensive coordinator: Gary Crowton (Louisiana State offensive coordinator)
Outside linebackers/special teams: Lyndon Johnson (Connecticut outside linebackers/special teams)
Running backs: David Walker (Pittsburgh running backs)
Strength and conditioning: Andrew Wilson (Connecticut strength and conditioning)

Maryland spokesman: Brattan could still be retained

Just heard from a Maryland football spokesman, who alerted me to a severe error on my part from yesterday.

Longtime offensive line coach Tom Brattan is still under consideration to be retained for new coach Randy Edsall's staff, the spokesman said. Defensive coordinator Don Brown and wide receivers coach Lee Hull were retained yesterday.

There was, to be blunt, a misinterpretation of Maryland's announcement on my end. It was an honest error, not a malicious or intentional one, but an error nonetheless and worthy of an explanation both to readers, who have every reason to expect more from me and this site, and to Brattan, whose job status is not something that was ever intended to be toyed with.

Regardless of what was reported elsewhere, it should be right here and it wasn't. For that I offer my apologies.