COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland redshirt sophomore running back Anthony McFarland has always been one to support the local team and show pride for where he’s from.

As a kid growing up in Prince George’s County, Maryland, McFarland would sport his Washington Redskins gear while running around the living room pretending to be former Pro Bowl tailback Clinton Portis. Not much has changed over the years for the 5-foot-9, 198-pound runner, even after he became a blue-chip recruit at Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha and colleges from all over the country sought his talent.

Before ending his recruitment on National Signing Day in February 2017, McFarland narrowed down his college choices to Alabama, Miami, and Maryland. Despite the Crimson Tide having won the National Championship less than a month prior and the storied history of the Hurricanes’ program, McFarland couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to represent the state he calls home.

“I’ve been having a love for the game since I was young and I’ve got one goal in mind and that’s just to put on for the state of Maryland,” McFarland said at Maryland football media day Aug. 2. “I think about it every day, how humble and blessed I am to be able to stay home and rep the state of Maryland and I take a lot of pride in that.”

McFarland came to College Park with a vision in mind.

Joining two other talented running backs—Javon Leake and Tayon Fleet-Davis—in his recruiting class, McFarland knew he was entering a crowded but special backfield at Maryland. Now all entering their third year in College Park, Maryland’s runners are hardly under-the-radar, but still are playing with a chip on their shoulder.

“I feel like we’re trying to make it RB-U again,” McFarland said. “I wouldn’t say we’re the best room on the team but I’d say we have a lot to prove this year in the running back room and we have to step up and be leaders.”

Being a leader on a team that’s looking to rebuild after a coaching staff change and four consecutive losing seasons is something McFarland is focusing on as fall camp gets underway in College Park this month.

The former No. 2-ranked player in the state of Maryland is also working on rounding out his game. Anybody that watched McFarland break the Terps’ freshman rushing record last year with 1,034 yards on the ground while averaging 7.9 yards per carry knows that he has great field vision and can burst through a hole with authority for big gains. But entering what could be his final year at Maryland if the NFL comes calling McFarland hopes to show that he is a complete tailback.

“I’m just trying to get ready for the season and take care of what I need to take care of with my teammates,” McFarland said. “Definitely getting better at pass blocking and being a better player without the ball in my hands. That’s what I’m going to be working on all camp, just doing things right—blocking for teammates, running down field, and just being a better teammate. That’s really want I wanted to work on this summer and that’s my goal going into camp.”

That sort of dedication to his craft endears McFarland to his coaches and teammates, including Terps new offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery, who has been impressed with what he has seen so far and knows he has a “unique” back on his hands.

“Probably one of the more unique combinations of speed and quickness that I’ve seen in a long time with the football in his hands,” Montgomery said of McFarland at media day. “Another thing about him is he’s really efficient with his cuts. A lot of people think quickness is all about making people miss. He places his outside foot and cuts right under his shoulders and has great pad level. So when he makes a vertical cut, he gains more ground than a normal back. The uniqueness of being able to make someone miss and then go from zero to 60 so quick gives him the ability to be a really special player.”

Montgomery added that McFarland has already shown him this offseason that he can be a dangerous weapon catching the ball out of the backfield, stating that he is “extremely quick to the tuck,” meaning McFarland can catch the ball and tuck it away quick enough to size up tacklers as he’s cutting up field.

McFarland only caught seven passes for 73 yards last season, but it sounds as though those numbers could drastically increase moving forward as Maryland’s coaches aim for diversity and versatility on offense.

The Terps’ new offense is one that McFarland is fond of. Having watched it be successful while head coach Michael Locksley was the offensive coordinator at Alabama, McFarland believes he has seen enough to know Locksley’s scheme is a good fit for him and the other playmakers on Maryland’s roster.

“I feel like the offense is good, very explosive,” McFarland said. “I feel like coach Locksley’s offense is going to get the playmakers the ball and put them in space. And it’s not just me. There are a lot of guys I can name that are going to get the ball in space and really show what we can do. So I feel like Locksley’s offense is good and I feel like he showed that at Bama. He showed how explosive the offense can be.”

An explosive offense for an explosive player. But McFarland isn’t honing in on individual success or putting up big offensive numbers; he’s got one goal on his mind for the Terps when it comes to the 2019 season—winning.

McFarland has heard the critics and seen the projected win totals being cast upon his team this offseason. He welcomes the skepticism and says he, his teammates, and his coaches are using it as motivation to work as hard as they possibly can to prove doubters wrong.

“It’s big expectations,” McFarland said. “I know everybody is counting us out still. I see people saying that we’re probably going to win like three or four games. But our team and our coaches can’t pay attention to stuff like that. All we have to do is come to work every day. It’s about us; it’s about the team. So all we have to do is come to work every day and, as I always say, be where our feet are, not worrying about what we’re going to do a month later or where we’re trying to get to, just every day coming to work.”

McFarland’s feet right now place him squarely in the dog days of summer, going through fall camp practices with his teammates in College Park, and preparing for the season that’s less than a month away. But he is poised to be one of the Big Ten’s best running backs this season and will lead a Terps backfield that could turn out to be one of the best in the country.