While his future Terps teammates are currently juggling football and school, Maryland linebacker commitment Demetrius Hartsfield is enjoying a relatively stress-free fall break from class work.

During the break, the Southeast Raleigh (N.C.) High School star sometimes will get in a morning workout, then have lunch, rest a bit and head to football practice at about 2 p.m. After practice and a weight room session, Hartsfield usually hangs out with his teammates and plays Madden.

“I’ve been doing it since middle school so I’m used to it, but I like the break and it’s less stressful,” said Hartsfield of his school’s current two-week break.

He can enjoy the lazy days of fall break now, because in about four months, Hartsfield will be a full-time student at Maryland, attending classes and joining the Terrapins football team for winter workouts and spring practice.

Thanks to Southeast Raleigh’s year-round school schedule, which consists of nine straight weeks of class followed by a two-week break, Hartsfield will have more than enough credits to graduate in December.

In fact, he’s registered for just four courses (math, english, SAT prep and weight training) for his final term at SRHS. Hartsfield is fully qualified academically, but his mother, Tracy, suggested he take the prep course just to see how much he could raise his score.

Tracy Hartsfield has made sure education has been -- and will continue to be -- a huge part of Demetrius’ life. She saw to it that her son applied to the academically rigorous Southeast Raleigh, a magnet school specializing in math, science and technology.

“I make sure that I get As and Bs,” said Hartsfield, who sports a 2.9 GPA. “I try my best and my mom really stresses grades. She’s just always been on me to make sure I don’t slack off, and I’m on myself to make sure I don’t slack off.”

When it became apparent that Hartsfield could easily graduate high school early, Tracy and the Southeast Raleigh coaching staff suggested he think about enrolling early at College Park.

“I was talking with my coaches and my mom and we came to a decision that there wasn’t anything holding me back from going to college and there wasn’t anything here that I’d miss out on,” Hartsfield said.

According to Hartsfield, the Maryland coaches were more than receptive when he raised the possibility of enrolling early and joining the team in time for spring practice.

Just to be certain his decision was sound, Hartsfield sought the advice of Virginia Tech running back Josh Oglesby, who grew up 10 minutes outside Raleigh and started college in Blacksburg last winter following an early graduation from high school.

Oglesby and the UM coaching staff both had the same message for Hartsfield -- Enrolling early and participating in spring practice will give you an advantage over the other incoming freshmen.

Outside the classroom, Hartsfield has helped lead Southeast Raleigh to a 5-1 record, starting at both linebacker and tight end. A four-year varsity player, Hartsfield estimates he’s recorded more than 80 tackles and caught six passes and one touchdown for the season. As a junior, he collected 128 tackles and 13 sacks, according to Rivals.com.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder will suit up for the Terps' defense, but he’s enjoying his first season as a starter on offense for the Bulldogs.

“I’m real aggressive at tight end also,” Hartsfield said. “I like blocking a lot, trying to get pancakes and stuff. It’s real fun. At first I didn’t think of it that much, but when I started playing [tight end] ... you can have as much fun on offense as defense.”

While he hasn’t been able to catch his future teammates on TV as much as he would have liked, Hartsfield has been closely following Maryland’s season thus far. His assessment of the Terps’ prospects the rest of the way is optimistic.

“The wins they had were pretty good wins and the losses they had were just beating themselves,” Hartsfield said. “They had the games in the hand. Against West Virginia, they were pretty close at halftime. But I know they’re working hard because I know how the coaches are. They just had a couple close calls.”

For now, Hartsfield is focused on Friday’s game with 5-0 Smithfield-Selma, as well as enjoying SRHS’s two-week break, before plunging into his last term as a high school student. But while he’s got plenty on his plate right now, Hartsfield’s mind can’t seem to stop wandering toward his future in College Park.

“I get excited because I can’t wait to go ahead and start college and I’m just blessed that I’m able to do that,” Hartsfield said. “Not many people get a chance to play college football, so I just take it as a privilege.”