COLLEGE PARK, Md. – As the Maryland football team continued spring workouts Monday, a pair of Terrapins continued their respective transitions to new positions. Senior Sean Davis has moved from cornerback to safety, while Will Ulmer carries on his progression from quarterback to wide receiver.
While the move is a big one for Davis, who is the active Terrapin leader in tackles (223), he gained tremendous experience playing at cornerback in a number of games for Maryland in 2014.
“[Sean] is doing a good job and it is the right spot for him,” said head coach Randy Edsall. “The more repetitions he gets, the better he is going to be.”
Davis was one of the top tacklers in the nation a season ago, ranking fourth nationally and first in the Big Ten among defensive backs with 115 tackles. The Washington, D.C., native is confident his size and experience will ease his transition to cornerback.
“Playing corner at the end of last season definitely gave me the confidence that I can hang with the best,” Davis said. “As a bigger corner, I know that I can still help with the run game while having the speed to stick with wideouts.”
Ulmer is a bit further ahead of Davis in his transition to a new position, having switched to wide receiver very early in his redshirt season last year. The speedy wideout has put an emphasis on his focus and consistency in spring workouts.
“Switching to wide receiver was the best decision for me and I have taken full advantage of the opportunity,” Ulmer said. “Last year was a great learning process and I took advantage of learning from Stefon [Diggs] and Deon [Long]. Coach McCardell stresses perfection in routes and I just need to stay focused and work on my hands.”
Although he has yet to see game action for the Terps, Edsall knows the potential impact Ulmer can have on the Maryland offense this season.
“I think Will brings a different dynamic to the wide receiver position with his speed and then how athletic he is,” Edsall said. “You can tell that he has worked hard to better himself in terms of knowing his assignments, catching the ball better this spring. It is exciting to have a guy with his ability out there. He is going to put some pressure on people. They are going to have to respect his speed. He can run by people.”
