Profiles in Terpage: Kingsley Opara

Kingsley Opara, Freshman (RS), Defensive End, #57

Stats:

Height: 6'3''

Weight: 285

Twitter: @future40million

High School Stats (Senior Year): 42 tackles, 11 for loss, ten sacks, three for fumbles

247sports composite Ratings: Three stars, ranked 59th best defensive tackle, 130th best player in Florida

Who Maryland beat: Georgia Tech, Missouri, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, UCF, USF and West Virginia

High School: Mandarin High School (Fla.)

Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.

High School Highlights:

How'd He Get to College Park?

Opara committed to Maryland in the summer entering his senior season but wasn't completely sure about his decision. He wanted to see what his senior season held but opted to stay with the Terps even though he heavily considered NC State. He was selected to play in the Florida Athletic Coaches Associaion North-South Classic and was honored as second team All-First Coast after an impressive ten sack season.

Although he was expected to redshirt his freshman season anyway, an injury assured that decision for Maryland coaching staff. The defensive end worked hard during his redshirt campaign both in rehabbing his injury and on the scout team for Maryland.

Nickname:

Let's call him Simba, but with a name like Kingsley, he hardly needs a nickname.

Career Highlight:

Signing his LOI to come up to College Park

Dream Season:

He gets a chance to play deep in the season and comes up with a crucial fourth down swat and solidifies Maryland's primetime win over Michigan State, starting a rivalry that lasts 60+ years until MSU leaves the Big Ten for the ACC.

2014 Prospectus:

With Opara eligible for four more years, I fully expect him to serve as a backup to anticipated starters Quinton Jefferson and Andre Monroe. However, Opara should expect to see quite some action as a reserve player. His size and strength could contribute to the talent on the defensive line for the Terps, but his speed is a bit of a concern playing on the edge. In a very fast, very shifty Big Ten conference, speed on the outside is crucial to a defenses success.

Opara is listed as a strong side (left side!) defensive end for Maryland with Andre Monroe the only player ahead of him according to Pete Volk's depth chart. After converting from nose tackle to defensive end, Opara understands his new role and the importance of the position change. I would be shocked if Opara started, but not surprised whatsoever if he saw action in most, if not all, games. Opara could also see some playing time at his old defensive tackle position after the departure of reserve tackle Nate Clarke.

Up Next:

His nickname should be "The Empire"

Standings:

Two time Timmy-Jim extends his lead to two over RedTurtle.

timmyw3: 9

RedTurtle: 7

Daniel Hamilton: 5

jnforsyth34: 4

Ezra2141: 2

testudbro: 2

aubartolomei: 1

ClickClack62: 1

Terps_roc: 1

umcp96: 1

Maryland1206: 1

Scaletta: 1

KHemer: 1

goingtobentleys: 1

MEDTerp: 1

HarfordTerp37: 1

juanblaze: 1

RavenTerp1217: 1

say_al: 1