COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- It’s no secret that running back is one of the deepest positions in College Park. As they prepare for next season, the Terps boast a backfield that includes last year’s leading rusher Anthony McFarland, big-play threat Javon Leake, “Swiss Army knife” Tayon Fleet-Davis as well as talented local products Lorenzo Harrison, Jake Funk and Ikechukwu Ogwuegbu.
Collectively, it’s a group that rushed for nearly 1,900 yards last season and now welcomes a coaching staff that has experience working with loaded running back rooms.
Head coach Michael Locksley comes to Maryland as the former offensive coordinator at Alabama, where last season the Crimson Tide utilized four backs regularly. All saw success and two are preparing to be drafted to the NFL later this month. The Terps’ new running backs coach, Elijah Brooks, had a similar situation prior to his arrival at Maryland. Brooks was tasked with balancing a stable of talented runners as the lead man at high school national powerhouse DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and isn’t complaining about having too much talent in his room.
“We have a room that I think is as talented as any program in the country and I think that’s a good thing,” Brooks said. “At one time at DeMatha, I had four Division I backs. So I think being able to balance and manage that is something that I’ve had some experience with. When we conclude the spring, we’ll come together as a staff and decide how we’re going to utilize them in the fall and how we’re going to share and balance their carries.”
Regardless of how the backfield rotation pans out, McFarland, the youngest of the group as a redshirt sophomore, will see the most touches and be a cornerstone of Maryland’s offense after rushing for a team-high 1,034 yards last season. The former Rivals150 prospect and local standout played under Brooks at DeMatha, where he had a spectacular sophomore season that put him on the map as one of the country’s best backs before and injury-shortened junior year.
Brooks and McFarland have been reunited on the gridiron at Maryland, and although he has seen McFarland do some impressive things already, the former Stags head coach doesn’t believe we’ve seen the best of his game yet.
“We haven’t scratched the surface in regards to how good [McFarland] can actually be,” Brooks said. “He is trying to get better each and every day. He’s working on things that he’s deficient at and he has a great attitude about it. He wants to be the best.”
It’s not everyday that one of the nation’s best high school coaches gets to leave for a college program where his former start player resides. Brooks isn’t taking his situation for granted and is excited to work with McFarland again to be part of Maryland’s new direction.
“I definitely believe that the stars aligned with this opportunity,” Brooks said. “Not many guys get the opportunity to move two miles down the road and coach some of their former players. So I’m extremely thankful and extremely excited to be in this position and I’m going to do the best I can to help the Terps take those next steps.”
But as has already been alluded to, McFarland isn’t the only versatile and shifty runner in Maryland’s backfield. Funk and Harrison aren’t practicing fully yet this spring as they work their way back from their respective injuries, but Brooks has been pleased with what he has seen so far out of some of the Terps’ other backs.
“Obviously with the year Anthony McFarland had, everyone is aware of him, but Javon Leake, he can match all of Anthony’s big plays and that’s a tremendous weapon to have,” Brooks said. “[Leake] can score from anywhere on the field, as a kick returner, punt returner. He can add that element to it. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. Phenomenal player. Tayon Fleet-Davis is a Swiss Army knife. He can run the ball from the backfield. He can be an H-back who blocks and catches the ball. I wasn’t familiar with those two guys but I have been thoroughly impressed with them so far this spring.”
Besides coaching up Maryland’s running backs, Brooks will also be looked at to help keep the recruiting pipeline from DeMatha to Maryland strong. The Terps have landed some of their best players in recent years from the Catholic high school just down the road from College Park, and while Brooks is looking forward to keeping that trend flowing strong, he’s also focused on locking down the DMV as a whole.
“I’m excited about DeMatha guys having the opportunity to come to Maryland, but right now all of the DMV guys that I can recruit here, I want them all to come here to Maryland,” Brooks said. “And with that is making sure when they get to campus they’re feeling that family feel, they know that they have an opportunity to reach those goals that they have--playing at the next level and getting a top-notch education--and they don’t have to go far to get it. So while we’ve had many DeMatha guys come here and have success, I want all of the DMV guys to know that they can do the same thing.”
