The Detroit Lions hired Randy Edsall, who was fired as head coach at Maryland during the 2015 season, as the team’s director of football research and special projects.
The football research department assists in all aspects of game preparation and also provides information to the coaching, personnel and football administration departments to help improve the team’s decisions in the draft and free agency.
Edsall brings 36 years of experience to the Lions on both the college and pro levels as a head coach, coordinator, defensive position coach and offensive position coach.
The 57-year-old Edsall comes to Detroit following a four-year tenure as at Maryland. Under Edsall, the Terrapins saw back-to-back winning seasons in 2013 and 2014 for the first time since 2002-03. He was relieved of his duties midway through this past season after Maryland started 2-4.
Edsall was head coach for 12 years at Connecticut (1999-2010). He had a 74-70 record at UConn and compiled a 22-34 record at Maryland.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn was a graduate assistant in the UConn athletic department when Edsall was head coach for the Huskies in 1999.
Edsall previously coached in the NFL from 1994-97 as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive backs coach under Tom Coughlin. He was part of the coaching staff that led the Jaguars to the 1996 AFC Championship game in just the second year of the team’s existence.
Edsall started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Syracuse from 1980-82, and then was promoted to running backs coach from 1983-84 and 1986. He coached the Syracuse tight ends in 1985 and made the jump to defense as the defensive backs coach from 1987-90. His last two seasons at Syracuse, he was also the program’s recruiting coordinator. From 1991-93, Edsall coached defensive backs at Boston College.