Kenny Tate’s subpar season after making the shift from safety to outside linebacker got far worse Sunday. Maryland announced that the senior will undergo season-ending surgery with a recovery time of six to nine months. The question now is whether the NCAA will grant Tate a hardship waiver that will enable him to return for one more season. He has never redshirted.
The DeMatha graduate and NFL prospect played in Maryland’s first four games of the year but has missed the last three, sporting a wrapped right leg during warmups at Georgia Tech and a knee brace during warmups against Clemson. Terps coach Randy Edsall declined to specify Tate’s injury.
The NCAA’s threshold for hardship waivers is participation in 30 percent of a team’s scheduled games, which would measure out to 3.6 games, but the NCAA rounds that number up to four.
The NFL Draft advisory board told Tate last winter — following a first team All-ACC season — that he would be a second-round pick.
– Craig Stouffer
