Profiles in Terpage: Yannick Ngakoue

Yannick Ngakoue, Sophomore, Linebacker, #7

Stats:

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 250 lbs

Twitter: @@yan_d1prospect

Collegiate Stats: 10 tackles (6 solo, 4 assisted), 2 sacks, 1 interception

High School Stats (Senior Year): totaled 12 sacks his senior year at Friendship Collegiate

247sports composite Ratings: 4-star. 17th ranked inside linebacker and number two player in Washington DC area.

Who Maryland beat: South Carolina, Florida St, Arkansas, and Auburn.

High School: Friendship Collegiate (DC)

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

High School Highlights:

How'd He Get to College Park?

Yannick Ngakoue ended up at Maryland as a commit earlier in the process, but ended up re-opening his recruitment once the big-name schools came calling. While Florida St and South Carolina made a strong push to land the prized recruit, Ngakoue still pledged to Maryland, giving them the recruit they needed to continue the "stay at home" movement that had begun once Randy Edsall landed the commitment of Stefon Diggs in 2012.

Ngakoue was recruited as an outside linebacker, but with his athleticism, he ended up rotating in as a pass-rusher off of the edge with Yannick Kudjoe-Virgil. Once Kudjoe-Virgil went down to a season-ending injury, Ngakoue saw more time in games at the outside linebacker position.

Nickname:

Batman (from Pete last year...he was one of the Super Friends)

Career Highlight:

Notching the interception against Old Dominion early in his freshman season. There couldn't have been a better feeling than reeling in the interception so early in his first season as a Terp.

Dream Season:

Ngakoue continues to improve his game and starts every game opposite of Kudjoe-Virgil and notches a double-digit sack season.

2014 Prospectus:

Ngakoue has the skill-set to be an every-down linebacker for Maryland, and he has the chance to do so with the graduation of Marcus Whitfield. The two could form a very dangerous tandem off of the edge. Ngakoue will have to work on his run defense overall, and if he is able to improve in that area, there is no reason to believe that the skilled athletic freak won't reach his ceiling that made him an all-american coming out of high school.

Unfortunately, Ngakoue will have Matt Robinson and Alex Twine still around, and the skill-set that those two offer will not allow him to see every-down action. This will be a rotation season for Ngakoue, but he will have the chance to cement his spot for his final two seasons at College Park as a star.

Up Next:

The man who will compete with Ngakoue for playing time. He needs no introduction, his name is______ ________.

Standings:

jnforsyth34 gets a second one!

RedTurtle: 7

timmyw3: 6

Daniel Hamilton: 5

jnforsyth34: 2

aubartolomei: 1

ClickClack62: 1

Terps_roc: 1

testudbro: 1

umcp96: 1

Maryland1206: 1

Scaletta: 1

KHemer: 1

goingtobentleys: 1

MEDTerp: 1

Ezra2141: 1