Five questions - UM's in-state football commits
Today's guest for 'Five questions' is MDVarsity.com editor Sheldon Shealer.
Shealer, a professor of journalism at Mount St. Mary's University, has covered high school football in Maryland since 1987. He started the official state rankings (1990) and the All-State teams (1992) and has served as the coordinator of both since their inception, in addition to creating and maintaining the official state records for football.
Shealer answered five questions via e-mail about the Terps' in-state commits and one UM target.
1.) What are your impressions of Maryland defensive line commitments Teddy Dargan (Milford Mill) and Cody Blue (Wilde Lake)? What type of impact do you foresee them making at Maryland? What are their strengths? What can they work on?
We've been waiting for Dargan to deliver and he finally put on a monster game last week in Milford Mill's loss to Hereford. It was his best performance to date from an athlete who has been getting hype since his sophomore year. Blue is more of a project for Maryland. He has good size and strength, but will not be an impact player right away.
2.) How has Forestville wide receiver Kevin Dorsey performed this year? Is he an instant-impact type of player? What are his strengths and weaknesses?
Dorsey is having a great season even though it appears his high school team will not make the playoffs. He has 29 catches for 519 yards and six TDs.
Dorsey's size and athletic ability, and the fact he's very polished as a high school player, could get him early playing time on the collegiate level. His body frame and route running reminds me of Keyshawn Johnson.
3.) What were your impressions of Terp commits and Hargrave players Devonte Campbell and Zach Brown coming out of high school? What did they need to work on during their year at Hargrave?
Zach Brown is an exceptional athlete -- almost freakish with his size and speed. He was a three-sport star at Wilde Lake -- wrestling, track and football. I see him making a smooth transition to the college game. Campbell is a speed end/tight end who might need to add a few pounds for the I-A game.
4.) From a statistical standpoint, it seems like running back Davin Meggett is having an excellent senior year. Was this expected? What has each shown to you?
Going into this season, the question on Meggett was could he take a hit? Clearly, he has shown he can -- he's already over 1,000 yards and appears to be on pace for a 1,500+ type season. It's no surprise that he's having this sort of statistical showing, the more impressive aspect is how far he's carried Surrattsville, a program that has never been in the playoffs. Surrattsville is 6-1. Meggett has very good speed and he's thick and strong.
5.) How does Maryland look for DeMatha wide receiver Kenny Tate? Is Florida the Terps' main competition? What type of wide receiver is he?
Tate is a possession receiver. He has good speed, but not great speed. Florida is in the mix, but his game seems more suited for a Big 10-style offense.








Comments
I have been reading your coverage of Maryland recruiting etc. for the last month or so and I want to compliment you on providing me with information that I had not been able to get from the other Balt./Wash. papers. Keep it coming and I will keep coming back.
Posted by: kevin | October 24, 2007 8:24 PM
Matt - Did Sheldon give you any idea how Tate would "fit" into Maryland's offense?
Posted by: rick | October 24, 2007 11:13 PM
Kevin - Thanks for the kind words.
Rick - I printed what Sheldon wrote word-for-word.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | October 25, 2007 4:48 PM