Pre-Spring Notes (PDF)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Maryland opens its spring football season Tuesday when the Terps hit the field for the first of 15 workouts over a five-week stretch.
The team will practice three times a week as the sessions conclude with the annual Red-White game on Saturday, April 30 at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EDT with the game serving as the culmination to Maryland Day, a university-sponsored campus open house. Admission is free to both the game and the day's activities.
First-year head coach Randy Edsall and his coaching staff will welcome 48 letterwinners, including 14 offensive and defensive starters and one of the top punt returners in the nation in Tony Logan.
Quarterback Danny O'Brien, the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, and four offensive linemen headline the seven starters back on offense. O'Brien posted the sixth-highest passing yardage total (2,438) for a freshman in league history last season. He also tossed 22 touchdown passes, which is No. 2 on the Maryland single-season chart.
Andrew Gonnella, Bennett Fulper, Justin Lewis and R.J. Dill are among seven offensive linemen on the roster who have started.
Davin Meggett and D.J. Adams form a formidable backfield tandem. Meggett posted a team-high 720 rushing yards in 2010, while Adams posted a freshman school-record 11 rushing TDs.
The Terps will have to replace their top two receivers in 2010 first team All-ACC pick Torrey Smith and Adrian Cannon.
Smith, a potential first-round choice in the 2011 NFL Draft, ended his career No. 7 on the ACC's all-purpose yardage chart (5,264). He is third on the Terps' career receptions list (152) and second in receiving yards (2,215).
Kenny Tate, Joe Vellano and Demetrius Hartsfield highlight the seven starters back on defense.
Tate (100), a 2010 first team All-ACC pick, and Hartsfield (88) are the top two tackles back for the Terrapins. Tate also led the ACC in forced fumbles (four) in 2010 and picked off three passes.
Despite the loss of four defensive starters, seven of the top 10 tacklers from a season ago are back.
Vellano was also an all-league pick a year ago, earning second-team honors after posting 63 tackles (sixth on the team) and a team-best five sacks.
In addition, the Terps will also be joined by their top two cornerbacks in seniors Cameron Chism, a two-year starter, and Trenton Hughes. Chism had 70 tackles and eight pass breakups in 2010, while Hughes had a team-high nine PBUs.
Spring practices are closed to public.
