Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008
A level of uncertainty surrounded University of Maryland freshman tailback Davin Meggett before the Terrapins' offseason workout regimen began this summer.
The 2008 Surrattsville High School graduate found himself in a gray area as a recruit the Terrapins' coaches initially planned to designate as a "gray-shirt" this season.
The term gray-shirt is assigned to incoming freshmen who intend to join the team, but will not report in the fall with the rest of the squad. Instead, gray-shirt players do not join the program until the middle of the school year, reporting in January. Gray-shirt players cannot enroll in the university as full-time students, receive athletic scholarships or practice with the team.
But the plans changed, Meggett is in College Park preparing for the start of the season, and he has surprised many with his progress — including himself. Terrapins' coaches did not even list Meggett on the team's preseason depth chart. Despite that, Meggett currently holds the second string tailback position behind starter Da'Rel Scott.
"I think he's solidly in the spot on the second team," Terrapins' head coach Ralph Friedgen said Monday morning. "I think he'll play a lot in two weeks [in the season opener at home against Delaware]. He's gotta get his mistakes cleaned up. He has a lot of talent and he will be a real good football player here at Maryland."
The 5-foot-8, 210-pound Meggett responded "I don't know" to many questions related to football at the college level. Meggett did, perhaps, have a head start on some of his freshman teammates in terms of his preparation.
"My high school coach always asked me to do everything," Meggett said of his coach at Surrattsville, Tom Green, now the coach at Eleanor Roosevelt High. "He and I knew it was just things that I had to do, that's why most of the times, he would have me do some of everything."
Meggett has impressed since the Terrapins began training camp Aug. 4. At Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage, Meggett established himself as the most electrifying player on the field, rushing for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
Meggett amassed 123 of his yards on two carries – a 74-yard burst on which he dove and landed just inches from the goal line and a 49-yard touchdown scamper.
In the team's first scrimmage, Meggett stole the show with two touchdown runs, including one that covered 50 yards. The Terrapins' coaches promoted Meggett to second-team status on the depth chart a day later.
"I'm just here, just trying to do what I can," said Meggett, the Gazette-Star Offensive Player of the Year last fall. "I do a little bit of everything. Sometimes I may put on a move, sometimes I use my explosiveness and sometimes I use my size."
For now, Meggett said his focus is on ensuring that his development progresses smoothly, adding that he is not comfortable with himself because he said he is "always making little mistakes."
Many of Meggett's problems may be schematic. He said his biggest challenge lies in learning how to be a more effective pass-blocker. With Friedgen indicating that he intends to use senior starting quarterback Jordan Steffy along with junior reserves Chris Turner and Josh Portis, learning to pass block for three different quarterbacks who have unique skill sets will be a challenge.
Whatever the case, Meggett hopes his developmental curve continues its sharp rise.
"When I was being recruited, they always told me that there was a big possibility that I would have to contribute very soon," Meggett said.
His time will arrive in a little more than a week.
E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.
