All eyes were on five-star recruit Stefon Diggs as Maryland held its first open practice Tuesday afternoon. But there wasn’t much to see. Diggs, a wideout from Good Counsel, ran several short routes and caught a few passes. But there was nothing dramatic from the freshman wide receiver. Just another practice in the dog days of August.
Instead it was a better opportunity to see the Terps new quarterbacks. In a stationary passing drill, New Mexico transfer Ricardo Young, who isn’t eligible until 2013, was the most accurate passer.
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In 11-on-11 drills, Caleb Rowe of Landrum, S.C. clicked on several passes. He threw a touchdown strike of roughly 25 yards to tight end Devonte Campbell. He also appeared poised and elusive under pressure.
True freshman running back Albert Reid showed some burst and appeared sturdier than his listed 5-10, 177 pounds. Redshirt freshman running back Brandon Ross also ran well.
With players wearing helmets, but no pads, coach Randy Edsall steered clear of any evaluations, though he said he was pleased with the “freshman group.”
“Everybody’s an all-American in shorts,” Edsall said.
Edsall said that sophomore defensive lineman Ian Evans has left the school for “personal reasons.” Another player conspicuous by his absence was defensive end Justin Anderson, one of the most physically imposing Terps, who is coming off an injury that kept him off the field in 2011 after starting every game the previous year.
Edsall confirmed that Anderson was one of three players who failed to finish a conditioning test. Anderson and the others – wideout Lavern Jacobs and walk-on defensive lineman Azubuike Ukandu – will return when Edsall is satisfied they are in shape.
“They didn’t finish it. Guess what? They won’t practice until I feel they’ll be capable of finishing a practice,” Edsall said.
Seven other players flunked the test, according to Edsall, but they at least finished it. The test consists of 24 sprints, sideline to sideline, with rest in between.
Defensive lineman Andre Monroe was carted off the field on Tuesday. Edsall said it was probably just a case of dehydration.
Maryland will practice in pads for the first time on Wednesday.
Maryland freshman Quinton Jefferson takes it out on a tackling dummy in Tuesday’s practice. / Photo by Kevin Dunleavy
