Spring Football Outlook (Pt. 2)
April 5, 2001
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Defense
Spring practice will have a great deal of meaning to this year's defense. The unit as a whole has a large number of returning starters (8) and returns five of its top six tacklers. The biggest question mark lies in its defensive front as the Terps are somewhat undersized and need a few inexperienced players to step up. The linebacking corps may be the deepest and most talented position on the team, while the secondary is also well manned.
This year's spring practice will help determine what type of defense the Terps will use in year one. Friedgen has suggested that if there is not enough depth on the defensive line that they could resort to a 2-5 scheme. In any event, defensive coordinator Gary Blackney will find a way to be aggressive.
Defensive Line
Normally, the departure of one player doesn't mean so much to a defensive front. But for Maryland, the loss of Kris Jenkins to graduation leaves a large gap on the defensive line. The Terps were relatively thin on the line with Jenkins still around, the task now is to find some new faces. At tackle, the spot vacated by Jenkins, C.J. Feldheim and William Shim? will battle for the starting nod. At nose tackle, Charles Hill is the returning starter and is coming off of a season that saw him notch three sacks and six TFLs. Hill will be joined by James Evans, a 320-pounder who will be full time at defensive line this year after splitting time with the offensive front a year ago.
At end, Scott Smith returns after playing in five games as a frosh. In his limited action, he ended up with 12 tackles, 25 percent of which were sacks (3). He will be challenged by Durrand Roundtree, Jamahl Cochran and Landon Jones. As with the rest of the line, the key will be mixing a blend of experience and possibly adding some bulk (all but two of the Terps' defensive linemen are under 262 pounds).
"All I can tell you right now is that this group has worked very hard in the offseason," said Friedgen. "Of all of the positions on defense, this is one where we are going to need to see who can do what in the spring because it is wide open. We have some returnees, but we are a little undersized and need to see exactly where we stand."
Linebackers
The Terrapin linebacking corps of a year ago was rated by one publication as the eighth best in college football. A year later, that group has all of its starters returning and added a freshman All-American in the process.
Aaron Thompson is back for his senior season on the strong side. He has started every game of his collegiate career (33) and will be the leader of this year's defense. His six-and-a-half sacks in '00 is most of all returning players. Joining Thompson on the strong side are Leroy Ambush and Ricardo Dickerson, a couple of young players who are in the right spot to learn more about the position. Dickerson is one of three recruits of Friedgen's 2001 class (along with Domonique Foxworth and Rich Parson) who will participate in spring drills.
In the middle, the team's leading tackler returns in E.J. Henderson. Henderson is an instinctive player who simply makes plays. The 109 tackles he racked up came despite the fact that he missed a game-and-a-half with an ankle injury. Also at middle linebacker is Monte Graves, a senior who played in all 11 games a year ago. Kevin Bishop is another senior who has a good deal of experience (10 career starts), but he will likely miss spring practice due to injury.
At weakside linebacker, Marlon Moye-Moore is back after finishing second on the team in tackles a year ago. He has racked up a total of 238 tackles in the last two years. Reggie Lewis is working to overcome a shoulder injury and is questionable for spring while Leon Joe is a talented, athletic player who has worked hard to get stronger in the offseason.
At rush linebacker, Mike Whaley returns after finishing third on the team in sacks and earning third team freshman All-American honors from The Sporting News. Also competing at the position are senior Ryan Swift and freshmen Jon Condo and Kevin Eli. The pair of freshmen have drawn the eye of coaches as spring approaches.
"At first glance, our linebackers are one of the deeper groups on the team," said Friedgen. "Aaron Thompson is a leader and he does it by example. He is just a real solid kid all the way around."
Defensive Backs
Like linebacker, the defensive backfield has a good mix of talent, youth and depth.
At cornerback, last year's starters Tony Okanlawon and Curome Cox are back. Friedgen believes that they are players who have the talent to be very good players but must develop the confidence it takes to succeed at the position. Okanlawon has worked hard in preparation for his senior year and Cox has shown leadership not usually seen out of a sophomore.
Among the players who will be working at corner in the spring are Raymond Custis, Andrew Smith, Domonique Foxworth, Dennard Wilson, Rovel Hamilton and Luke Kim. Every corner with the exception of Okanlawon and Kim are underclassmen, but many (Cox, Wilson, Hamilton, Smith) saw valuable field time a year ago.
"I like our starting pair of corners going into spring," said Friedgen. "I feel good about the group overall. In my opinion, there is just a confidence factor from last year that they have to get over where they just get out there and learn how to make plays. I have complete confidence that with Coach Blackney, they can get that done."
At safety, Tony Jackson was an All-ACC performer at strong safety last year after having his first injury-free season. He was seemingly all over the place, running up 101 tackles while breaking up four passes. Jackson is joined by three-year letterwinner Rod Littles and Madieu Williams. Littles is a strong player who has played in all 33 games of his three years at Maryland while Williams - a walk-on transfer from Towson - has caught the eye of coaches in his workouts.
Former quarterback Randall Jones returns for his senior year at free safety. He and junior Tyrone Stewart are proven players at the position. One player who has been intriguing leading up to spring is Curtis Williams, an athletic freshman with a solid build (6-2, 192). Friedgen has said that if the safety position is as well-manned as it appears, Williams is so athletic that he may get a chance to play receiver.
"We have a lot of guys who can play at the safety position," Friedgen said. "We have depth back there. Now we just have to see how they operate in our system and who makes the most plays.
