COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- They say competition breeds success, but in the Terps’ running back room it’s also creating a tight-knit bond between the members of Maryland’s backfield.

Anthony McFarland, Javon Leake and Tayon Fleet-Davis all came to College Park as members of the 2017 recruiting class. McFarland was a heralded four-star prospect out of nearby DeMatha while Leake and Fleet-Davis were three-stars with diverse skill sets and high upside.

Fleet-Davis was described as a “Swiss Army knife” by Terps running backs coach Elijah Brooks this spring, Leake is a big play waiting to happen having scored seven rushing touchdowns on just 34 attempts last season while averaging 9.1 yards per carry, and McFarland is flat out a special talent. Collectively they’ll form a three-headed monster in Maryland’s backfield next season with redshirt juniors Lorenzo Harrison and Jake Funk also working their way into the mix.

With so much talent in the running back room at Maryland, some might think ego or jealousy could get in the way. But not with the Terps’ runners.

“We’re so close in the room,” Leake said. “Our friendship is so close that we just motivate each other because we all know what we can do. We all know that we can help this offense score points. So there’s no hate. There’s no jealousy between us. It’s all just a close bond and I think that really helps us when it comes to going out on the field and competing against other teams.”

Having all been recruited in the same class, not to mention Funk and Harrison being brought in the year prior and Ty Johnson previously serving as the elder statesmen of the running back room, McFarland, Leake and Fleer-Davis all came to College Park with the understanding that there would be a bit of a logjam in the backfield. But that didn’t stop any of them from choosing Maryland and it doesn’t seem like any of them would change their mind if given the opportunity.

“I knew what I was getting myself into when I was coming here: great competition,” Fleet-Davis said. “I pretty much knew Anthony McFarland. I knew about Lorenzo Harrison and Jake Funk just from me being around this area. So I didn’t have any problem with that. I just knew I had to come in and compete and that’s what I did. What makes us so special is that we’re close. We’re fighting for playing time but we’re not fighting fighting. We make it a friendly competition and we all get along.”

As a fellow DMV product himself, Fleet-Davis was familiar with some of the other Terps’ backs before arriving in College Park and has seen his relationship with them grow exponentially. But his bond with Leake began when the two tailbacks committed to Maryland on the same day and it has grown into a brotherhood between them and the Terps’ other runners.

“The funny thing about that is when I was in high school I used to see Javon at a lot at camps,” Fleet-Davis said. “So we used to see each other but never really knew who we were. And we committed on the same day. And we got to talk and we just became friends ever since then and our relationship since freshman year has just been building. Me, Javon Leake, and Anthony McFarland, we all just continue to grow together as brothers and that’s amazing.”

Some players might have been turned off by seeing a player at their same position commit to the same school on the same day, but not Fleet-Davis. When he realized Leake committed to Maryland shortly after him, he was eager to get the competition going so that they could begin to make each other better.

“I was excited,” Fleet-Davis said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be the only running back coming in. I didn’t want to. I’m going to need other great running backs to be around and someone to show me the way and someone to work with. So that wasn’t really a problem.”

That competition hasn’t stopped for Maryland’s backs since their first day in College Park and it continues to be what drives the Terps’ running back room on a daily basis.

“There’s so much talent,” Leak said. “I’m competing with some of the best backs in the country and you just have to bring your A-game every day because you know the other person isn’t going to slack. So you always have to come prepared, always have to bring your best. It’s just fun to watch and be with those guys everyday, some of my best friends on the team.”

The question remains how the carries will be divided up between Maryland’s running backs next season. As the team’s returning lead rusher, McFarland figures to get the bulk of the workload, but the Terps’ offensive coaches don’t intend to let the other talent in their backfield go to waste.

“Everybody in the running back room is going to play a big part this season, so I’m excited about that,” McFarland said. “We talked to Coach [Michael] Locksley and the offensive coordinator and they just want to spread us all over the field, put us in the game at the same time, and make mismatches for the defense.”

In order to spread more touches around to the running backs, Maryland’s offense could decided to use its runners more as pass catchers moving forward. The Terps’ entire running back room has displayed decent hands in the past and its members believe the passing game is one area where their role could grow next season.

“We do a lot of things whether it’s pass protection, running the ball, catching the ball,” Fleet-Davis said. “Coach Montgomery just brought to our attention that he would like us to learn some of the new routes so we can do more things and we can have more running backs on the field instead of just one. We can have two on the field at the same time, three on the field at the same time. We just try to expand our position and our role.”

Leake, who gets extra work on his hands by fielding kickoffs and punts on special teams, is ready for an expanded role and said his sparse use in the past has only motivated him more to have a big junior year.

““Everything is falling into place now,” Leake said. “I have a bigger role and I’m starting to do more, so everything is falling into place. I’m actually pretty excited for it just to see what we can do coming out of the backfield trying to catch the ball. [Locksley] just uses us in so many different areas. It’s going to be fun to see him just get us in space and just taking advantage of that. I think we have the right players to do that.”