Ga. OL Max Garcia talks Terps commitment
On the football field, there’s not much -- if anything -- that is capable of rattling Norcross (Ga.) High offensive tackle Max Garcia.
Garcia spent three years punishing opponents while starting on the Blue Devils’ offensive line. He earned scholarship offers from Maryland, Clemson, Vanderbilt and several others, and became the Terps’ latest commitment on Saturday.
But Garcia’s first time in front of the camera for a broadcast journalism class this fall conjured up an emotion the 6-foot-5, 275-pound senior had rarely felt before -- nervousness.
“I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be shown to the whole school,’” Garcia recalled. “The show’s not live because we have to have time to edit. But yeah, I was definitely nervous.”
Fortunately, Garcia’s on-camera debut earned rave reviews. He contributed in just about every way to the story -- conducting interviews, shooting and editing video and taking a seat behind the anchor’s desk. The piece, which introduced Norcross High to its 2009 football team, whetted Garcia’s appetite for broadcast journalism.
“Taking this class really helped me in just figuring out that this is what I want to do,” Garcia said. “A lot of people change their majors in college and don’t know what they’re getting into. But I really want to pursue this in college. ... Being right next to Baltimore and D.C., I think I can do internships and build my career there.”
Maryland having Garcia’s major of choice was instrumental in the Terps landing his commitment, but it was far from the only reason behind his decision. Garcia already has a friend on the roster in former Norcross standout and UM freshman running back D.J. Adams. He has built a strong relationship with his recruiter and future position coach, Tom Brattan. And the list goes on.
“There [are] a lot of things I’m looking forward to when I go up to Maryland,” Garcia said, “one of them being the opportunity to play early, especially now that Bruce Campbell is in the NFL draft. [I’m also exciting about] getting with my [former] teammate D.J. He’s a great guy and a great player, so I’m looking forward to getting back in touch with him.
“[I’m excited about] just getting to know Coach [Ralph] Friedgen more. I’m really looking forward to that. He’s a really spiritual man and I like that about him as well. Every Sunday, he’s at mass. You can always find him there. I really like that about him because I’m also a spiritual man. And I’m just really excited for having the chance to build the program up. I think they’re on the rise. They’re going to be on the rise this year and I just want to be a part of that as well.”
Comments
Not so sure Bruce Campbell will be such a great loss. For a 5 star recruit I think he played pretty average. Campbell will be eaten alive in the NFL. He sure didn't stand out on a bad line, good luck and good riddence to him.
Posted by: Neil | December 22, 2009 1:39 PM
thats crap Neil, i thought when healthy Bruce was a very good Left tackle, he was alot better at pass blocking than run blocking. and in the NFL he will get bigger and stronger. he needed a 4th year to physically and mentally mature more. But iguess he wanted the money, he wil be a top 15 pick, after he goes to the combine and blows people away with 6-7 305 pounds, runs a 4.8/40 and benches 225 pounds like 50 times, He is a freak of nature.
Posted by: OBAFEMI | December 22, 2009 6:07 PM
re max - although dont know him, sure like a little humility. sounds like a class act. good job ralph
Posted by: pepper | December 22, 2009 10:16 PM
Hey Neil, Good post and you're right on target. Campbell never stood out and the O line was below average - I don't know what OBAFEMI was seeing - maybe Ralph wrote his post for him.
Posted by: Pat | December 23, 2009 1:36 PM
Hey OBAFEMI, You say BC was much better at pass blocking - what does that tell us - you know Turner never had any time - the pass protection was terrible - and BC was part of the O line.
Posted by: Pat | December 23, 2009 1:39 PM
well ok Bruce had his times when he was not focused on the blocking 100% and the oline was a mess sure, but i thought he graded out onthe season a B-.
for a 5 star recruit he was kind of very average, but i feel he will do better in the NFL.
Posted by: OBAFEMI | December 24, 2009 11:22 AM