We're at t-minus seven days until the Miami-Maryland game. We still don't know which, exactly, Miami team the Terrapins will be facing, but we do know the Maryland team that will be running out of the tunnel on Labor Day night: Randy Edsall and Maryland released the opening day depth chart this morning, and there are a couple of surprises within.
For starters, D.J. Adams is nowhere to be found. I'm a big Adams fan as a short-yardage back, and he shined when called upon last year. In spring practice, he was listed as tied with Meggett atop the depth chart for RB, and I had already assumed him to be the starter next season.
But he's not in the three-deep at RB, having been surpassed by CB-convert Jeremiah Wilson and true freshman Justus Pickett. Edsall's had his fair share of "WTF?" depth chart decisions (A.J. Francis at the bottom of the depth chart in spring training, for example), so I'll just chalk this one up to that. Again. Unless there's some injury we don't know about - possible, I suppose, as the injury report won't be posted until Wednesday - it's not a promising sign.
Speaking of Francis, he regained his starting spot at DT, where he'll play alongside Joe Vellano, David Mackall, and Isaiah Ross - no surprises there. Likewise, the three linebackers - Kenny Tate, Demetrius Hartsfield, and Darin Drakeford - were all gimmees. We do have a surprise in the secondary, though, with Cam Chism falling out of the starting spot and into a nickel slot, it would appear. Trenton Hughes, who was quietly great last year, is starting, and across from him there's a tie between Dexter McDougle and Jeremiah Johnson for the second CB spot. Does that mean Chism, a two-year starter and senior, is at 4th on the CB spot? Wow, if so. I know he struggled last year, but I'd expect the experience to keep him starting.
Whoops, misread the depth chart, and it's actually Chism over Hughes. Disappointing, I must say - again, I thought Hughes was really good last year and deserves to be starting.
Moving back to offense: the offensive line had a few questions answered here. Namely, the starters at LT with Justin Gilbert hurt and RG with Pete White struggling. Answers: Max Garcia will start at LT over Nick Klemm, and walkon Josh Cary will start over the former four-star White. Normally I'd complain of Edsall being Edsall there, but Cary - who is no small man at 290 pounds - is still 40 pounds lighter than big Pete. For an offense prizing a fast tempo, that size will run into problems.
At wide receiver, Ronnie Tyler ends up remaining as the 3rd receiver - ie, the slot guy. That's always what I expected - he doesn't have the size nor speed to be a first option, and is actually perfect in the slot. Instead, junior Kevin Dorsey - a former four-star - will start. Senior Quintin McCree is the other starter at wideout, ahead of Kerry Boykins, who I expect to still get plenty of snaps in the spread offense.
And, for what it's worth, it looks like Nick Ferrara, who had an injury last year and then lost his kicking job to Travis Baltz, will be pulling double-duty again this year, handling both punting and kicking. He was great there his freshman year, but his form dropped as the season went on, probably due to stamina.
The final two surprises worth mentioning: true freshman Tyler Cierski, one of the most underrated players of last season's incoming class, is the starter at fullback, and true freshman Justus Pickett is the starter at kick returner. Both are savvy moves: Cierski is a potential four-year starter at FB, and Pickett is absolutely explosive. With Logan at punt returner and Meggett (and Adams, though maybe not) at RB, the other ways to get Pickett the ball were limited. I think we all learned our lesson with Logan: if a player is explosive enough, figure out a way for him to get touches no matter what.
Full depth chart is linked above, but if you're lazy it's also posted below:
OFFENSE
WR 12 Kevin Dorsey 6-2 205 Jr.-2V
4 Ronnie Tyler 5-9 185 Sr.-3V
LT 73 Max Garcia 6-4 290 So.-1V
74 Nick Klemm 6-5 290 So.-1V
LG 77 Andrew Gonnella 6-5 295 Sr.-2V
70 De'Onte Arnett 6-4 275 So.-SQ
C 63 Bennett Fulper 6-4 295 So.-1V
65 Sal Conaboy 6-3 270 Fr.-RS
RG 68 Josh Cary 6-5 290 So.-1V
67 Pete White 6-4 330 So.-1V
RT 76 R.J. Dill 6-7 300 Jr.-2V
61 Jake Wheeler 6-7 275 Fr.-RS
TE 89 Matt Furstenburg 6-4 245 Jr.-2V
34 Devonte Campbell 6-2 255 Jr.-2V
QB 5 Danny O'Brien 6-3 215 So.-1V
16 C.J. Brown 6-3 200 So.-1V
TB 8 Davin Meggett 5-9 215 Sr.-3V
31 Jeremiah Wilson 5-10 185 Fr.-RS
or 44 Justus Pickett 5-10 175 Fr.-HS
FB 49 Tyler Cierski 6-0 255 Fr.-HS
30 Rahsaan Moore 6-2 230 Fr.-RS
WR 17 Quintin McCree 6-1 190 Sr.-3V
13 Kerry Boykins 6-0 200 Jr.-2V
DEFENSE
DE 11 David Mackall 6-3 240 So.-1V
58 Bradley Johnson 6-1 220 So.-1V
DT 72 Joe Vellano 6-2 285 Jr.-2V
93 Andre Monroe 6-0 275 Fr.-RS
DT 96 A.J. Francis 6-4 295 Jr.-2V
90 Maurice Hampton 6-2 295 Sr.-2V
DE 56 Isaiah Ross 6-1 255 Jr.-2V
91 Keith Bowers 6-2 260 Fr.-HS
STAR 6 Kenny Tate 6-4 220 Sr.-3V
15 Mario Rowson 6-3 190 Fr.-RS
MIKE 9 Demetrius Hartsfi eld 6-2 235 Jr.-2V
53 Lorne Goree 6-1 230 Fr.-RS
WILL 52 Darin Drakeford 6-0 240 Jr.-2V
35 Alex Twine 6-0 220 Fr.-HS
CB 14 Jeremiah Johnson 5-11 170 Fr.-RS
or 25 Dexter McDougle 5-10 190 So.-1V
S 48 Eric Franklin 6-2 205 Jr.-2V
27 Titus Till 6-2 195 Fr.-RS
or 16 Anthony Green 5-11 190 Sr.-1V
S 40 Matt Robinson 6-3 220 So.-1V
29 Austin Walker 6-0 195 Sr.-3V
CB 22 Cameron Chism 5-10 190 Sr.-3V
21 Trenton Hughes 5-11 190 Sr.-2
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK 43 Nick Ferrara 6-0 200 Jr.-2V
29 Michael Tart 6-2 170 Fr.-RS
P 43 Nick Ferrara 6-0 200 Jr.-2V
18 Nathan Renfro 6-1 215 Fr.-HS
LS 92 Tim Downs 6-0 225 Sr.-2V
80 Greg Parcher 6-3 185 So.-SQ
H 29 Michael Tart 6-2 170 Fr.-RS
5 Danny O'Brien 6-3 215 So.-1V
PR 1 Tony Logan 5-10 180 Sr.-3V
4 Ronnie Tyler 5-9 185 Sr.-3V
KR 44 Justus Pickett 5-10 175 Fr.-HS
31 Jeremiah Wilson 5-10 185 Fr.-RS