Steffy gets nod for Terps

Fifth-year senior beats out incumbent Turner

By Patrick Stevens (Contact) | Tuesday, August 19, 2008

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Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen named Jordan Steffy the team's starting quarterback Monday morning after a protracted three-way race for the job.

Whether that three-man competition is over - or whether all three will remain on the roster in coming weeks - remains unknown.

Steffy beat out incumbent Chris Turner and junior Josh Portis to earn the nod for the Aug. 30 opener against Delaware. Both Friedgen and offensive coordinator James Franklin emphasized the need to find some use for the shifty Portis.

That leaves Turner, who started the final eight games last season, as the Terrapins' No. 2 quarterback - for now.

Turner was not made available to the media just after Friedgen's announcement, but his father expressed surprise at the decision when reached by telephone yesterday afternoon.

"We are shellshocked," John Turner said. "We'll probably talk about some things tonight, but right now we're shellshocked."

John Turner declined to comment further on whether his son would consider transferring from the school he led to a pair of victories over top-10 opponents last fall. Friedgen was not immediately available for comment on the possibility of Chris Turner leaving the program.

Either way, it will be Steffy's team - at least initially, anyway. The fifth-year senior impressed Friedgen and Franklin with his steadiness, and both said he led nearly every statistic the coaches recorded during practices throughout camp.

Franklin canvassed several veterans over the weekend, and Friedgen said about two-thirds of them voiced support for Steffy. Friedgen also said it was important for his own credibility to base the decision on practice performance.

"If you don't reward kids for practicing well, then I don't know what you can base your decision on," Friedgen said.

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