COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland true freshman Tino Ellis was recruited by the Terps out of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic as a wide receiver but has quickly carved himself out a role in College Park as a defensive back.

TERPS INSIDER message board | SHOP NOW: DEALS on TERPS apparel | LIKE us on FACEBOOK

Despite being listed as a backup cornerback on the depth chart leading up to the game against Minnesota, Ellis received the first start of his college career against the Golden Gophers, replacing sophomore JC Jackson in the lineup.

Ellis and Jackson platooned playing opposite of senior cornerback Alvin Hill throughout the game and each finished with one tackle but Ellis also added two pass breakups. When asked after the game why he thought head coach D.J. Durkin decided to make a switch on the other side of the secondary, Hill pointed to an increased level of competitiveness that the coaching staff is trying to create amongst Maryland’s defensive backs.

“It’s the competition,” Hill said. “We’re definitely trying to pull out stronger competition amongst the defensive backs. We’re going to make sure that we stay sharp out there. We’re getting Tino [Ellis] some playing time; we’re getting JC [Jackson] some playing time.”

More from TSR: MICHIGAN ST. UP NEXT FOR MARYLAND: THE 3-2-1 | DURKIN MONDAY TELECONFERENCE NOTES

Hill added that while playing in the secondary does require good chemistry and communication between all of the defensive backs on the field he does feel comfortable playing with either Ellis or Jackson on the other side and is happy to give them the guidance they need at times.

“It just makes my job more focused,” Hill said. “Those guys look to me sometimes and I just have to be that rock when they do look so they don’t feel like there’s anything weird going on. Those guys can perform and do what they do. They’re good players.”

Durkin elaborated on Hill’s comments about creating competition during his weekly teleconference on Monday. Maryland’s headman stated that Ellis outperformed Jackson in practice leading up to the Minnesota game, and while it was the first-year Terp’s birthday on Saturday, receiving the starting nod was not a gift, but rather a merit-based promotion.

“[Ellis] practiced better than [Jackson],” Durkin said. “He won the job in practice. Our practices are competitive and we grade them. I thought Tino played really well in the game. He did a nice job. He had the one [pass interference], which I think was a close call and could have went either way, but he was aggressive and defending the ball well. Especially for his first significant playing time, I thought he played really well.”

Durkin added that his open-competition policy in practice will continue to apply for his entire team and that he always plans to play the guys that show they want it the most.

“Our practices are very competitive always,” Durkin said. “We grade practice for assignments, effort and everything else. We will continue to do that and I think it’s a critical component to our program.”

Hill alluded to Durkin’s philosophy after the 31-10 loss to Minnesota and said the Terps coach knows what he is looking for in the players that he will start.

“The guys that [Durkin] feels are going out there and performing--tough guys as he says, hardworking guys, mentally tough guys--that’s who we’re going to [play],” Hill said.

But with senior nickelback Will Likely suffering a knee injury while fielding a punt against Minnesota, Durkin might not have much of a decision to make anymore in regards to who starts in the secondary.

Durkin did not have an update on Likely’s status on Monday but did say that he would be receiving further test on his knee later in the day. If Likely is unable to suit up this weekend against Michigan State, Ellis or Jackson could slide into the nickelback position while the other mans the outside with Hill.

While potentially losing a playmaker such as Likely hurts, Hill said Maryland’s defensive backs are prepared to step up.

“Will [Likely] is a great player for us,” Hill said. “He makes returns for us; he’s a turnover guy and we could use that. The fact that he got pulled out of the game definitely made us understand that we just lost a big guy, but we practice for things like this so we are able to come back and focus up, make some plays and fill that void.”