Randy Edsall returning to University of Connecticut to coach Huskies

Randy Edsall is going home.

Five years after leaving the University of Connecticut to become the head coach at Maryland, Edsall is returning to UConn to become the Huskies’ new football coach.

The former Terrapins coach was named the Huskies new coach on Wednesday, replacing the fired Bob Diaco. Edsall coached Connecticut from 1999 to 2010. He will be formally introduced as the school’s new coach on Friday.

“Coach Edsall is the right fit for our university, football program and student-athletes,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said in a statement. “He led UConn to its most successful period in the history of our football program, and I believe he will provide consistent leadership and long-term success once again.”

Edsell is UConn’s winningest coach with 74 victories from 1999 to 2010. Under Edsall, the Huskies moved from Division I-AA to Division I-A.

Edsall will receive a 5-year contract worth $1 million annually with a chance to earn more.

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to rejoin and lead the UConn program,” Edsall said in a statement. “I want to thank President (Susan) Herbst, Athletic Director David Benedict and the rest of the administration for believing I am the right person to build this program and develop its student-athletes.”

Edsall left UConn for Maryland after the 2011 Fiesta Bowl without speaking to his team or flying home with them. He said in Wednesday’s statement that he would have done things differently in his departure from Storrs and it will take time for the loyal UConn fans, supporters and former players who have not forgotten to forgive.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Edsall back to the University of Connecticut,” Herbst said. “He possesses the passion, experience and commitment to lead our program and develop our student-athletes, both on and off the field.”

In five seasons at Maryland, Edsall’s best mark was 7-6 in both 2013 and 2014, when he led the Terrapins to losses in the Military Bowl and Foster Farm Bowl, respectively. The Terrapins placed no higher than fifth in the ACC or third in the Big Ten.

The Terrapins fired Edsall in the middle of his fifth season with a 2-4 record and 0-2 in the Terrapins’ second season in the Big Ten in October 2015. He went 22-34 at Maryland with zero wins in 12 games against ranked opponents.

“We appreciate Randy’s tireless commitment to the University of Maryland,” athletic director Kevin Anderson said Oct. 11, 2015. “This was a difficult decision, but ultimately this is the best course of action for our football program moving forward.”

Edsall served this past season as the director of football research with the Detroit Lions after being hired in January.

Maryland hired former Michigan State defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin as coach in December 2015 and Durkin went 6-7 in his first season in College Park, including a loss to Boston College in Monday’s Quick Lane Bowl.