As the 2001 defensive player of the year in the state of Maryland, Shawne Merriman received scholarship offers from the likes of Florida State and Notre Dame. But the Upper Marlboro native did not take visits to any of them, instead signing with his home-state school to team up with other players from the area.

“I’m like, man, if we all stayed here, we could go up against Florida, Texas, Georgia, anywhere,” said the former All-Pro linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. “I wanted to jumpstart that, and a lot of guys did. They stayed home.”

Indeed, under coach Ralph Friedgen the Terrapins posted three consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins from 2001-03, including an ACC championship and Orange Bowl trip in 2001. Over the ensuing years, the program churned out NFL stars like Merriman, tight end Vernon Davis, cornerback Dominique Foxworth and receivers Torrey Smith and Darrius Heyward-Bay — all natives of the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Northern Virginia) area.

But Friedgen’s initial success proved fleeting, much like the program’s other brief eras of glory.

“There’s a lot of history here, and it seems to have gone in spurts over the decades,” said Kevin Glover, Maryland’s All-American center in 1984 who’s now director of player development for the program.

The Terps’ current head coach, Mike Locksley, remembers those eras, too. While the Terps won three consecutive ACC championships from 1983-85, Locksley, a high-schooler at the time, caught the Metro to College Park on Saturdays to sell tickets in the parking lot of Byrd Stadium.

“I made a lot of money off of Maryland football in the mid-’80s,” Locksley said. “With them winning the way they were winning, that was a great ticket, and a tough ticket, to get.”