Football Practice Report No. 7
8/16/2002 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 16, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
A few weeks before Stephon Heyer signed his official letter of intent to attend the University of Maryland last February, his high school coach could hardly stop himself from talking about the promising future of the young lineman from Lawrenceville, Ga.
"He's not a late bloomer - he's a late, late bloomer," said Dave Hunter, who at the time was the highly successful coach at Brookwood High School. "For sure, Stephon's best playing days are in front of him."
Those days may come sooner than anyone realized, according to second-year Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who has singled out the 6-6, 300-pounder with the size 18 cleat (the largest on the team) as one of the biggest surprises of fall camp.
"This kid is going to help us," said Friedgen after Friday's morning practice. "He's going to come in and allow us to maybe move [starting tackle] C.J. Brooks to a guard spot. He's a good player."
Heyer came to College Park with just four years of organized football experience behind him. But because depth is a concern on Maryland's offensive front - the Terps have only 13 scholarship linemen - it could mean some early playing time for the true freshman, a rarity on the collegiate level for a player at that position.
Heyer, who has added more than 35 pounds to his frame since his senior season, comes from a respected high school program which won 100 games during the decade of the '90s. And Hunter, his high school coach, developed a strong reputation for producing outstanding offensive lineman, including Curt McGill, who was drafted into the NFL this past spring out of the University of Georgia.
TERRAPIN NOTES
-- Linebacker Ricardo Dickerson injured his left knee in Thursday's morning practice and had an MRI early Thursday afternoon. The results were not known as of 4:30 p.m.
-- Tailback Mario Merrills, who dislocated his left shoulder Wednesday, participated in non-contact drills on Thursday.
