Well, the quarterback rigamarole in College Park is over.

For now anyway.

With Chris Turner staying, Maryland gets to enjoy some nice depth heading into the season.  And Turner will no doubt eventually earn another look at quarterback, given the vagaries of a 13-game schedule.

His father, John Turner, said there were family considerations at work this week. John Turner's father died this summer, and after such a rough time he hoped to have his son back home if the football thing wasn't going to work on the East Coast.

“The news from Monday, we took a little harder than we should," John Turner said. "At the time, I just wanted him to be at home. Football is a sport, it’s fun. Life is more important.”

Can't blame him for those sentiments in the slightest.

(An aside: One thing that interested me was how close Chris Turner is to graduating with a degree in government and politics --- a sheet of paper this blogger is plenty familiar with. John Turner estimated Chris needs three more credits after this semester to finish up his coursework.)

No matter what was said, it is clear this wasn't a football-only decision. John Turner said his son wanted to be with both his family and his friends in College Park, where he's spent the last three years. And when you're 20 years old, three years is not an insignificant percentage of your life.

Ultimately, he decided to stay at Maryland after investigating what other possibilities were available.

“We looked at options and different things," John Turner said. "There’s a few schools in California. ... We never asked for a release. We were told we would get one if we asked for one.”

It never came to that. And something tells me that at some juncture this season --- and perhaps many of them --- Maryland fans will be very grateful it didn't.

--- Patrick Stevens

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