A recurring series where we will profile every player on Maryland's roster, counting down to kick-off against William & Mary on September 1. Thanks to OBNUG for the idea.
Today we profile one of two incoming four-star running backs.
Albert Reid, Freshman, Tailback, #5
Stats:
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 200
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Twitter: None that we could find
Collegiate Stats: N/A
High School Stats (Senior Year): 225 rushes for 1,705 yards, six receptions for 39 yards, 17 total touchdowns
Recruiting Ratings: Four stars by Scout (#25 RB), ESPN (#2 in DC, #28 ATH), three stars by Rivals (#3 in DC, #56 ATH), 24/7 (#4 in DC, #81 ATH)
High School: Friendship Collegiate Academy
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
High School Highlights:
How'd He Get to College Park?
Albert Reid was a star at Friendship, and ended up being the first of many FCA commitments to head Maryland's way. He played running back and cornerback, winning 2011 D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year honors and earning an All-Met selection.
Reid initially committed to West Virginia, and Maryland wasn't really on his radar at the beginning of the recruiting process. Then, the Terps hired Mike Locksley, and a week after Wes Brown committed this past January, Reid followed suit.
Reid re-opened his recruitment at the beginning of January, visiting Vanderbilt, Maryland and Iowa before deciding on the Terps. He was drawn to College Park because of the engineering program and its proximity to his home.
Nickname:
"Prince" Albert Reid
Career Highlight:
Committing to Maryland.
Career Lowlight:
Committing to West Virginia.
Dream Season:
Reid forms a one-two punch with Wes Brown from the get-go.
Nightmare Season:
Redshirting.
2012 Prospectus:
Albert Reid is currently in a three-way battle at tailback for the fourth spot on the depth chart, with fellow true freshmen Wes Brown and Joe Riddle. One thing about that will certainly change - Kwabena Ofori is not going to be in front of all three of them, as Reid and Brown will almost definitely move up.
Some questioned Reid's decision to commit to Maryland so soon after another high-profile running back did, but his skill set will work well with Brown's. Reid is an electric, agile runner with a ton of speed, while Brown is more of a power, north-south running back (with enough speed to be a feature back, but we'll get to that later). The two of them should make a great combination down the road, with Brown as the main guy and Reid as the change-of-pace back.
However, there is already another hyped running back on Maryland's roster with a similar skill set to Reid's and collegiate playing experience - Justus Pickett. Pickett will be Reid's main obstacle to playing time, and Brandon Ross is a talented speedy back, as well.
Reid may not end up playing this year, but he has a bright future at Maryland. He's a shifty, speedy running back, aka West Virginia's prototype in the mold of a Steve Slaton or a Noel Devine (and with much better size), and he was good enough to garner an offer from them. Good enough for me.
Up Next:
Our next player shares his name with a soccer player who has won an English Treble. Give the year, the club, and of course the player.
Dirty_Terps closes the gap.
Standings:
Terpsonfire - 11
Maryland1206 - 10
Dirty_Terps - 9
kbuts151 - 6
bubbasparks - 4
ClickClack62 - 3
Terpsfinish - 2
curterp - 2
fballplyr92 - 2
T Free - 1
Mdak06 - 1
clevesanterp - 1
CSB Jack - 1
Everybody else - 0