Wash. Post: DeMatha to MD pipeline. 13 DM players on Terps in ‘19

[BigDrop]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/04/19/backbone-maryland-football-recruiting-two-miles-down-road-dematha/

And MD almost beat Ohio State last year...

[SJR 04]

After reading this I think any kid not from Dematha (1st), or DMV area(2) would be foolish to commit to Maryland. This worries me because one of my players just committed for the 2019 class.

[BigDrop]

MD has a strong tradition with NJ dating at least  to the ‘50’s.  (I graduated in ‘72.) I must also note that today MD is considered academically one of the best state universities in America ranked #28 of all universities by Money magazine for 2018.

[WCACguy]

13 hours ago, BigDrop said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/04/19/backbone-maryland-football-recruiting-two-miles-down-road-dematha/

And MD almost beat Ohio State last year...

They need to recruit other local schools better...they were a 5-7 team that other than the great effort vs Ohio State lost to Indiana and got blasted by Temple, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan St and Penn St. All DeMatha guys is not enough to compete in the Big 10.

[SJR 04]

4 hours ago, BigDrop said:

MD has a strong tradition with NJ dating at least  to the ‘50’s.  (I graduated in ‘72.) I must also note that today MD is considered academically one of the best state universities in America ranked #28 of all universities by Money magazine for 2018.

I'm aware of all you mentioned, but what do you think is going to happen if a kid from NJ plays the same position as a kid from Damatha? Do you really think they are going to sh*t on the home town kid if the kid is not as good as the NJ kid, but the kid is good enough for no one to question him being out there?

[BigDrop]

I believe the head coach will go with who he believes will do the best job regardless of where they are from.  The former DeMatha coach is running backs coach and frankly I can’t imagine anyone from anywhere starting ahead of Anthony McFarland who ran for almost 300 yards against Ohio State.

I have a bias-as noted I am a MD alum.  But this is an outstanding university whose degree will long be respected around the U.S. I also wouldn’t mind being 18 years old again and starting over at MD especially if I could live on campus.  FWIW their engineering and business schools are among the best in America.

I have a great deal of respect for getting the best education you can regardless of how one performs on the field.

And, FWIW, DeMatha’s rising sr qb is reported to have offers from Yale, Princeton And Columbia. For me I could care less if Alabama or Ohio State offers him.  He should go to the Ivy League.

I also have too many opinions.😁

[btango]

9 hours ago, BigDrop said:

 (I graduated in ‘72.) 

OTF TOPIC.  For Big D.

When I was a young fella in small town NC I was mesmerized by ACC basketball and CD Chesley telecasts.  I achieved a goal by visiting Cole Field House in the early 1990’s and a few times since.

About twenty years ago I having a burger in a greasy spoon near the federal prison in Atlanta with an old Army buddy that worked in the area.  I heard a voice talking and kept trying to figure out who was on the booth behind me.  When he stood up to leave I jumped up and yelled, “Lefty!”  Shook hands and spoke about Tobacco Road and Davidson College.  Felt guilty for hating him so much as a kid.

[BigDrop]

6 hours ago, SJR 04 said:

I'm aware of all you mentioned, but what do you think is going to happen if a kid from NJ plays the same position as a kid from Damatha? Do you really think they are going to sh*t on the home town kid if the kid is not as good as the NJ kid, but the kid is good enough for no one to question him being out there?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/04/20/marylands-new-assistants-rebuilding-program-starts-with-developing-relationships/

SJR 04, please read the above link.  It was in the Post today and I believe compliments the other article.  I hope you will find it perhaps insightful and  reassuring.

”One of the hardest things for 18 to 22 year old men to do is to trust other men.”

[SJR 04]

10 hours ago, BigDrop said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/04/20/marylands-new-assistants-rebuilding-program-starts-with-developing-relationships/

SJR 04, please read the above link.  It was in the Post today and I believe compliments the other article.  I hope you will find it perhaps insightful and  reassuring.

”One of the hardest things for 18 to 22 year old men to do is to trust other men.”

It will not let me read without paying 

[BUFORDGAWOLVES]

Michael Locksley wasn’t in College Park last season while the Maryland football program navigated both controversy and pain following the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair. He worked at Alabama, about 800 miles from the Maryland campus, only catching occasional glimpses of the Terrapins. Yet that was enough to notice their resiliency.

Locksley wasn’t with the players in June when they filed into the team meeting room and heard about the loss of their teammate, or when a few walked out of that same room as DJ Durkin addressed the players during his brief return. Locksley wasn’t there for any of it. But he still understood.

Nearly two years ago, Locksley lost his son Meiko, who was shot and killed in Columbia, Md. After Locksley accepted the Maryland coaching job, he said, “I know what it’s like to lose somebody you love.”

When Locksley built his staff, he didn’t retain any assistants from last season, so none of his hires were on the field the day McNair suffered heatstroke. But they also weren’t there as the group banded together and found a way to play each weekend despite the chaos that surrounded them. Their leadership through the season could have made some of those coaches strong candidates to stay.

But instead, 10 new assistants are part of a rebuilding effort, mending what had broken before they arrived. The players felt ready for that change as they continued to move further from the turmoil and toward normalcy.

“As a team, we hit rock bottom already,” running back Javon Leake said after a practice this spring. “So we know what it feels like to be there. We know what it feels like to get through the adversity. When the coaches came in, we already knew what we had to do. We wanted a fresh start as a team.”

The coaches range from 28-year-old tight ends coach Mike Miller to veterans with decades of experience. While some are new to the area, many have local ties. Defensive line coach Delbert Cowsette played for the Terps. Special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach John Papuchis graduated from Quince Orchard High School. Running backs coach Elijah Brooks came from local high school power DeMatha. Cornerbacks coach Cory Robinson, a Baltimore native, served as Maryland’s director of player personnel in 2015.

[Backbone to Maryland football recruiting? Two miles down the road at DeMatha.]

But upon arrival, they all had to begin building relationships with the players, sometimes from scratch but occasionally with the help of existing ties. The process starts with a conversation and is forged through time devoted to establishing trust.

Miller talked to his tight ends just as he would when meeting anyone for the first time. He asked about the past year, not necessarily what happened in the program, but just to gauge where the players stood in football and in life. Miller asked about players’ goals and their hometowns, their parents and their siblings.

“I want to know about who you are as a person,” Miller said. “I genuinely think players can sniff out the bullcrap and see through it.”

So the coaches spend time with the team off the field, just as any new staff would. Miller will have players over to his house on Easter. Outside linebackers coach Brian Williams tries to give his players just as much information about himself as he asks from them. That’s been an emphasis this spring, on top of teaching new systems, identifying key players and preparing for a season in one of college football’s toughest conferences .

The focus remains the present, offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery said, adding that the staff doesn’t discuss what happened last year. But there’s still an awareness of what the players went through. Even while coaching in other programs around the country, the national headlines proved unavoidable, so most assistants had at least surface-level knowledge of last season’s events.

When considering this job, “I certainly thought about it,” offensive line coach John Reagan said. “In all honesty, as I've told the Locks and I told the guys in the room, I said this is more than just a job offer to me. It was more of a calling. I felt like this was something I needed to do at this point in time.”

Reagan stepped in to lead the position group most intimately affected by death of McNair. Johnny Jordan lived with McNair in College Park. Ellis McKennie lived on his street growing up. Reagan said his group is closer because of what it went through. Thanks to individual conversations, Reagan feels like he has received the information he needed to connect with the players.

“One of the hardest things for 18- to 22-year-old men to do is trust other men,” Reagan said. “It’s not something that society looks at and says, ‘Hey, it’s okay to love each other.’ But it is. And I think those guys feel that and know that and know that I’m there for them. And I think they know that they’re there for each other. All of us are needed, so let’s go. Let’s get it done together.”

That sense of unity has been preached all spring as a pillar of the program, in each position group room and among the whole team. That’s not only what the program needs to move forward, but what it feels is necessary to win games.

“I can’t demand excellence if I don’t have a relationship with them and let them know, ‘Hey, I care about you. I love you. I want what’s best for you on and off the field. You’ve got to trust me,’ ” Miller said. “That process takes time. Obviously we’ve got to develop relationships with the kids. They received us with open arms.”

Read more:

Maryland safety Antwaine Richardson tears ACL, likely out for 2019 season

Maryland’s Tyrrell Pigrome rolling with the uncertainty at quarterback position

 

 8

 

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[BUFORDGAWOLVES]

33 minutes ago, SJR 04 said:

It will not let me read without paying 

^^^^^^ look up^^^^^^

[NicholasMalibu]

Maryland is going to shock people in two recruiting cycles(2021). The 2020 class is pretty much determined. Most of the top guys in DC/MD are heading elsewhere. They may snag one or two 5 stars late, but Locksley is focused on 2021. For this season, the Terps will be better and should make a decent bowl. Locksley hired three guys to lock down local recruiting. Brooks from DeMatha for the DC privates, Papuchis from the MD publics, and Robinson for SFA/Baltimore. Locksley knows how this works. He already took Florida State’s top QB and DB prospects in a matter of weeks. Saban was on a flight to DeMatha and SFA within hours of the hiring to protect his commits. Literally landed at DCA before the news went public. Locksley is going to make sure his roster is loaded with talent. The only question is how the X’s and O’s pan out. That could be an issue. It will be very interesting for certain. 

[HSFBfan]

On 4/20/2019 at 12:01 PM, BigDrop said:

MD has a strong tradition with NJ dating at least  to the ‘50’s.  (I graduated in ‘72.) I must also note that today MD is considered academically one of the best state universities in America ranked #28 of all universities by Money magazine for 2018.

Is that why they stink on the football field lol

[HSFBfan]

8 hours ago, NicholasMalibu said:

Maryland is going to shock people in two recruiting cycles(2021). The 2020 class is pretty much determined. Most of the top guys in DC/MD are heading elsewhere. They may snag one or two 5 stars late, but Locksley is focused on 2021. For this season, the Terps will be better and should make a decent bowl. Locksley hired three guys to lock down local recruiting. Brooks from DeMatha for the DC privates, Papuchis from the MD publics, and Robinson for SFA/Baltimore. Locksley knows how this works. He already took Florida State’s top QB and DB prospects in a matter of weeks. Saban was on a flight to DeMatha and SFA within hours of the hiring to protect his commits. Literally landed at DCA before the news went public. Locksley is going to make sure his roster is loaded with talent. The only question is how the X’s and O’s pan out. That could be an issue. It will be very interesting for certain. 

Looking at Maryland schedule I predict 4 wins. It's certainly not an easy schedule  

[Wosinc]

11 hours ago, SJR 04 said:

It will not let me read without paying 

For Maryland’s new assistants, rebuilding program starts with developing relationships

 

 

 

Offensive line coach John Reagan referred to his role at Maryland as more of a "calling" than a job. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

By Emily Giambalvo

April 19

Michael Locksley wasn’t in College Park last season while the Maryland football program navigated both controversy and pain following the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair. He worked at Alabama, about 800 miles from the Maryland campus, only catching occasional glimpses of the Terrapins. Yet that was enough for him to notice their resiliency.

Locksley wasn’t with the players in June when they filed into the team meeting room and heard about the loss of their teammate or when a few walked out of that same room as DJ Durkin addressed the players during his brief return. Locksley wasn’t there for any of it. But he still understood.

Nearly two years ago, Locksley lost his son Meiko, who was shot and killed in Columbia, Md. After Locksley accepted the Maryland coaching job, he said, “I know what it’s like to lose somebody you love.”

When Locksley built his staff, he didn’t retain any assistants from last season, so none of his hires were on the field the day McNair suffered heatstroke. But they also weren’t there as the players and coaches banded together and found a way to compete each weekend despite the chaos that surrounded them. The assistants’ leadership through the season could have made some of them strong candidates to stay.

Instead, 10 new assistants are part of a rebuilding effort, mending what had broken before they arrived. The players felt ready for that change as they continued to move further from the turmoil and toward normalcy.

“As a team, we hit rock bottom already,” running back Javon Leake said after a practice this spring. “So we know what it feels like to be there. We know what it feels like to get through the adversity. When the coaches came in, we already knew what we had to do. We wanted a fresh start as a team.”

The coaches range from 28-year-old tight ends coach Mike Miller to veterans with decades of experience. While some are new to the area, many have local ties. Defensive line coach Delbert Cowsette played for the Terps. Special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach John Papuchis graduated from Quince Orchard High in Montgomery County. Running backs coach Elijah Brooks came from local high school power DeMatha. Cornerbacks coach Cory Robinson, a Baltimore native, served as Maryland’s director of player personnel in 2015.

[Backbone to Maryland football recruiting? Two miles down the road at DeMatha.]

But upon arrival, they all had to begin building relationships with the players, sometimes from scratch but occasionally with the help of existing ties. The process starts with a conversation and is forged through time devoted to establishing trust.

Miller talked to his tight ends just as he would when meeting anyone for the first time. He asked about the past year, not necessarily what happened in the program but just to gauge where the players stood in football and in life. Miller asked about players’ goals and their hometowns, their parents and their siblings.

“I want to know about who you are as a person,” Miller said. “I genuinely think players can sniff out the bull crap and see through it.”

So the coaches spend time with the team off the field, just as any new staff would. Miller will have players over to his house on Easter. Outside linebackers coach Brian Williams tries to give his players just as much information about himself as he asks from them. That has been an emphasis this spring, on top of teaching new systems, identifying key players and preparing for a season in one of college football’s toughest conferences.

The focus remains the present, offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery said, adding that the staff doesn’t discuss what happened last year. But there’s still an awareness of what the players went through. Even while coaching in other programs around the country, the national headlines proved unavoidable, so most assistants had at least surface-level knowledge of last season’s events.

When considering this job, “I certainly thought about it,” offensive line coach John Reagan said. “In all honesty, as I've told the Locks and I told the guys in the room, I said this is more than just a job offer to me. It was more of a calling. I felt like this was something I needed to do at this point in time.”

Reagan stepped in to lead the position group most intimately affected by death of McNair. Johnny Jordan lived with McNair in College Park. Ellis McKennie lived on his street growing up. Reagan said his group is closer because of what it went through. Thanks to individual conversations, Reagan feels he has received the information he needed to connect with the players.

“One of the hardest things for 18- to 22-year-old men to do is trust other men,” Reagan said. “It’s not something that society looks at and says, ‘Hey, it’s okay to love each other.’ But it is. And I think those guys feel that and know that and know that I’m there for them. And I think they know that they’re there for each other. All of us are needed, so let’s go. Let’s get it done together.”

That sense of unity has been preached all spring as a pillar of the program, in each position group room and among the whole team. That’s not only what the program needs to move forward but what it feels is necessary to win games.

“I can’t demand excellence if I don’t have a relationship with them and let them know: ‘Hey, I care about you. I love you. I want what’s best for you on and off the field. You’ve got to trust me,’ ” Miller said. “That process takes time. Obviously we’ve got to develop relationships with the kids. They received us with open arms.”

[NicholasMalibu]

2 hours ago, HSFBfan said:

Looking at Maryland schedule I predict 4 wins. It's certainly not an easy schedule  

6 games at least 

[HSFBfan]

6 hours ago, NicholasMalibu said:

6 games at least 

We shall see.