Terps' Pinegar makes grade
By: Kevin Dunleavy
Examiner Staff Writer
October 22, 2009
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| Maryland's Paul Pinegar earned his way to a staring spot after starting out as a walk-on. (AP) |
Sherwood graduate earns scholarship as walk-on at Maryland
His high school coach thought Division III McDaniel was a good fit. But that didn't fit Paul Pinegar's ambition. He wanted to play Division I at a big state school, on television and in front of big crowds. After all, if his grandfather, a lineman at Ohio State, could do it, so could he.
So Pinegar took his best shot as a walk-on at Maryland. Three years later, he won a starting job and a scholarship. This season, along with senior center Paul Costa, Pinegar is a rare commodity. The junior tackle is one of the few offensive linemen coach Ralph Friedgen can count on.
Costa and Pinegar are the only blockers who have started all seven games. When left tackle Bruce Campbell missed games with two separate injuries, Pinegar shifted from the right side to the left, with no loss of efficiency.
"It's like switching the pen from one hand to the other," said Pinegar. "You have to be ambidextrous."
UP NEXT » Maryland at Duke
When » Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Where » Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, N.C.
TV » ESPN360
Fast fact » In four meetings (2001-04), Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen has never lost to the Blue Devils.
Leading lineman
» Sherwood coach Al Thomas pushed Pinegar toward McDaniel, where Thomas previously served as a defensive coordinator.
» Ten different Terps have started this season at the five offensive line slots.
» Four of the Terps who have started games are freshmen.
The odds are stacked heavily against a walk-on. The Terps have 84 scholarships available and 120 players on the roster. The extras are non-scholarship players. Some, like the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Pinegar, were recruited.
For two seasons, Pinegar was the best lineman at Sherwood High. In his senior year, the Stormin' Warriors went to the state championship game, but Pinegar drew no scholarship offers from Division I schools.
Going to school and playing volleyball in the same program as Friedgen's daughter didn't even help his cause. The closest Pinegar came to contact with the Maryland coach was when Friedgen visited an Italian restaurant where Pinegar was working as a bus boy.
"He did come to one of our games one time," said Pinegar. "I was star-struck that somebody like him would come to Sherwood."
But Pinegar did play well enough to earn a look as a preferred walk-on.
"When I visited here, coach [Dave] Sollazzo told me about players who made it big who were walk-ons," said Pinegar. "He was honest. He told me I would start on scout team. I decided then my goal was to make travel team."
Pinegar accomplished that feat after the spring of his freshman year. Then in the fall of 2007, as a redshirt freshman, Pinegar unexpectedly found himself in the lineup after injuries to other players moved him up the depth chart.
"I was pretty amazed how quickly I got on the field," said Pinegar. "When I got here, coach Friedgen told me it took two years to master the offense and be ready to play, unless you have all kinds of natural ability, which obviously I didn't have."
Pinegar has made up for physical deficiencies by becoming a student of the game. At Sherwood, where he played for Maryland coaching legend Al Thomas, Pinegar was well schooled in fundamentals.
"We call him 'The Technician,'" said Costa. "He's so fundamentally sound. That's how he's gone from being a walk-on to a starter."
Pinegar has also succeeded with weight work and a healthy fear of failure.
"I'm always afraid that I might let some guy slip off and absolutely crack through," said Pinegar. " That's something you always keep in mind. It's motivation. You gotta rise to that extra level."
If anyone knows how to do that, it's Pinegar.
