616 Days, But Who's Counting...
9/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football, Terrapin Athletics
By: Jake Spitz - Media Relations Student Assistant
When the Maryland football team takes the field against Howard on Saturday, it will have been 616 days since Melvin Keihn suited up for a regular season game.
Keihn last played on December 27th, 2014, when he was still on the roster at Virginia Tech. Since then, he has transferred to Maryland and spent a year practicing, learning, and working out in order to be ready for his first game as a Terp.
The Towson native, who moved to the United States from Liberia when he was 8-years-old, attended Gilman high school, which means playing for the Terrapins will be a homecoming of sorts.
“I'm excited,” Keihn said. “All of my family lives nearby so I'll have a ton of support here and I'm thrilled to play for them and all my teammates for the first time in a while.”
However, that excitement will not have come without a lot of patience and hard work. The past year has been filled with a lot of anticipation, as Keihn was only allowed to participate in practices after transferring.
“I really had to keep a positive mindset,” Keihn explained. “It was tough knowing that I would never get to play in a game even though I was completely healthy. I had to try and stay positive and focus my attention on developing myself and helping my teammates get better.”
It was a complete change for Keihn, who said he rarely missed a game throughout his football career.
“I never sat out in high school and I was fortunate enough to play very early in my college career,” said Keihn. “Because of that, sitting out was really a different experience for me.”
Despite not putting on the pads on Saturday's last season, Keihn knew his role in practice was extremely important.
“Every day in practice I was put against our first-string offense and was expected to give them my best effort so they would get better,” he said. “If I didn't give it my all, they wouldn't be facing good competition and they wouldn't get any better. Our coaches preached the importance of the scout team and I took my time on it as a great opportunity.”
His hard-work did not go unnoticed by the coaching staff. Keihn was named defensive scout team player of the week in preparation for the Terps' game against Bowling Green.
Many players often use a transfer year to spend more time in the weight room. Keihn focused on getting bigger, faster, and stronger since he was not able to play in games.
“I pride myself on being one of the hardest working guys on the team,” Keihn said. “During the year I couldn't play in game, I tried to focus on becoming one of the most dedicated guys in the weight room.”
Keihn is ready to show Maryland fans how all of his hard work during his sit-out year is going to pay off when he finally hits the field.
“I know this is going to be a big year for me,” Keihn said with a smile. “I've worked hard and I know it's going to translate onto the field. I didn't realize it has been 616 days since I last played in a game. That's crazy, but it makes it even better now that I can start contributing to the team's success on Saturday's.”
-Maryland-
