Impact Of A Scholarship: Will Yeatman

Will Yeatman was born with Maryland gold and red running through his veins. 

His mom, two cousins, and multiple aunts and uncles were all Terps. His younger sister Anne Morgan eventually became one as well.

So, when the opportunity arose for Yeatman to follow in their footsteps, he jumped at it.

"It was a dream come true for me to be a Maryland student-athlete," Yeatman said. "I had always dreamt of playing at Maryland."

Yeatman was an accomplished two-sport athlete who played lacrosse and football during his time as a Terp. 

He was born in Naples, Italy, where his dad, Dennis, was stationed at the time. After that, his family bounced around to a handful of other places for a few years until they eventually settled in San Diego when Yeatman was about 5-years-old. 

"It was an amazing life and upbringing," Yeatman said. "I had a great family that focused on education and hard work. It was really just a laid-back, amazing time in San Diego."

Football was huge at the time in southern California, so Yeatman naturally gravitated toward the sport. However, lacrosse was a different story. 

When his family first moved to the area, there were no youth lacrosse programs and very few middle school ones. It was rare to hear of a San Diego kid getting a lacrosse scholarship. 

Fortunately for Yeatman, both of his parents and all four of his siblings played lacrosse. His father, Dennis, even started Pacific Lacrosse in San Diego, a youth league with summer clinics, leagues, and a big weekend festival where hundreds of West Coast teams attend. In addition, several Pacific Lacrosse alums went on to earn Division I Scholarships. 

"Our family has an immense amount of pride in that because it was really the first youth lacrosse program in San Diego," Yeatman said. "All of us San Diego lacrosse players grew up with a chip on our shoulder because we were kinda the forgotten ones."

Yeatman fell in love with the two sports and looked for an opportunity to play both collegiately.

"It became kinda a natural fit for me to play both and Maryland was a school that actually allowed me to do that," Yeatman said.

Playing two different sports was not without its challenges. Yeatman was constantly in-season, with minimal downtime. He also had to deal with the differing body expectations of the two—working hard to bulk up during football season and then taking a break from the heavy lifting to become lighter on his feet for lacrosse.

But even with those heavy demands, Yeatman wouldn't trade his Maryland experiences for anything. 

"I was fulfilling a lifelong dream, getting a tremendous education and playing on two of the best and most storied programs in the United States," Yeatman said. "It was a fantastic experience all around. It was an absolute honor for me to be part of the University of Maryland community."

He also never took his scholarship for granted. 

"The benefits are kind of unparalleled as a college athlete, knowing that you're going to school and your parents don't have to pay for it," Yeatman said. "I was there during the Great Recession and not having to ask my parents for that type of capital outlay on an annual basis was a really big deal. As a student-athlete, it feels good to know you're being taken care of and that the school values you as a student and as an athlete enough to give you that type of compensation. It meant the world to me."

Yeatman played a big part in two successful teams during his time as a Terp. 

He was a critical tight end during Ralph Friedgen's final season in 2010, in which the Terps finished 9-4 and were ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll. Yeatman fondly recalls the Terps' 38-31 victory over Russell Wilson and No. 23 NC State on a cold day in College Park.

On the lacrosse field, Yeatman experienced just as much success. The team went a combined 22-11 during the two seasons he played and defeated multiple ACC rivals, including North Carolina and Duke. 

"I just loved competing for Maryland and going as hard as I could alongside my teammates, whether it was lacrosse or football," Yeatman said. 

Yeatman was equally enamored with his Maryland experiences off the playing field. 

"Being a student-athlete at Maryland meant I had the ability to build relationships with various student-athletes, not just in the football or lacrosse programs, but all sports around the school by going to different study centers, food places or training tables to interact with other people," Yeatman said. "That built a really tight knit community in the Maryland athletics department. It makes you more proud to be a part of the school in general and more invested in how the other teams are doing."

Yeatman was also a history major who cherished the opportunity to get a hands-on approach to learning by going to museums and archives in DC anytime he wanted. 

Above all, Yeatman loved his teammates. 

"I'm still interacting with most of those guys on a daily basis," Yeatman said. "Collectively working towards a goal brings athletes closer, and those types of bonds are really unbreakable when you've competed that long and that hard together. Those are the type of guys you want to be friends with forever, and I am."

After graduating from Maryland in 2011, the New England Patriots signed Yeatman as an undrafted free agent. The Miami Dolphins grabbed him off the waivers a couple of months later, and Yeatman found a home there for three seasons. 

As a Dolphin, Yeatman switched from tight end to offensive tackle. He also played with several former Terp teammates, including AJ Francis, Nolan Carroll, and Randy Starks.

"It was an amazing experience," Yeatman said of his time in the NFL. "It was as competitive of an atmosphere as you can imagine being in because you're fighting for your job day in and day out. Part of that Maryland pedigree is the toughness that comes with being a Maryland football and lacrosse player, and I brought that everyday as an NFL football player."

Yeatman played his final season with the Houston Texans before retiring in 2015.

Today, he is a commercial real estate broker at Cushman & Wakefield—and he couldn't be happier with his life. 

"I enjoy what I do very much," Yeatman said. "I'm really proud of what I do. I love living in New York City and I love the Maryland network in New York City."

Yeatman prides himself on bringing hard work and dedication to his job daily—values instilled in him as a Terp. 

"The perspective of being around guys on a daily basis who were competing for a job day in and day out was really important for me," Yeatman said. "It was that way at Maryland because there were so many good tight ends, it was that way in the NFL, and it's that way in my current career being a commercial real estate broker."

He is also firm in his stance that he wouldn't be where he is today without Maryland.

"There weren't many opportunities I didn't have because of the amazing education and the amazing Maryland alumni base all across the United States," Yeatman said. "The ability to get a job with ease and the various interviews I had, those were the biggest opportunities for me. The value that people placed on Maryland education carried a ton of weight." 

Yeatman is extra thankful to those who paved the way for him to get everything he has out of his Maryland experience. 

"Thank you, immensely," Yeatman said as a message to the donors. "You've had an unbelievable impact on my life. I simply wouldn't be where I am without your support and your efforts. I hope that many more athletes for years to come will receive the amazing benefits that I had."