Maryland Terrapins: True Freshmen To Watch in 2020

Every February (and now December) college football teams sign a new class of football players to join their program. It’s exciting to dream about what a prospect can become in the future but come September, some of those freshman will redshirt and wait for their opportunity to shine, while a few will be given the chance to make an immediate impact this season. In this series we will take a team by team look at the true freshman who could be given the opportunity to make a name for themselves in 2020. Today we will look at the Maryland Terrapins true freshmen to watch in 2020.

We already featured Rakim Jarrett in our freshman spotlight so we will not discuss him in this article, though we obviously expect him to play in 2020. You can read about him in the freshman spotlight by clicking here.

Ruben Hyppolite – LB

Maryland lost senior starter Keandre Jones who had a successful season at outside linebacker last year, but has exhausted his eligibility. Shaq Smith returns at the other outside linebacker spot but was relatively quiet in the same role last season. Bryce Brand was the primary backup to Smith last year and could be in line to start at one OLB spot in 2020. There are very few players beyond those two who have contributed much at the outside linebacker positions. The Terps will likely need two outside backers to emerge to provide solid depth in 2020. Hyppolite is a talented recruit who enrolled early and should be physically stronger after going through winter workouts with the team. We expect him to at least provide the needed depth at outside linebacker in 2020.

Ruben Hyppolite was an impact player at McArthur High School in Florida. He is a fast linebacker with a quick first step and excellent closing speed. Hyppolite times his blitzes well and gets in the backfield in a hurry, quickly closing on the ball carrier and finishing the play. Hyppolite is not a tall player but he is well built and carries his weight well. He already has a good build and should be able to add some more strength before the season begins. Hyppolite has the speed to run from sideline to sideline and can make plays across the field. He may begin the year in a depth role, but we expect him to perform when the opportunity presents itself and soon earn more playing time.

Penny Boone – RB

Maryland’s running back room will look completely different in 2020 than it did to begin 2019. Both Javon Leake and Anthony McFarland declared for the NFL draft after being the two leading rushers for the team in 2019. Lorenzo Harrison only played in two games in 2019 because of injury and shortly after the season announced he would be retiring because of injuries. Jake Funk has suffered two knee injuries in the last year and it is unknown if he will be ready for the start of the season or how effective he can be. Senior Tayon Fleet-Davis is back but he missed the last two games of the season with a legal issue, if that is behind him he will start the season as the starter. Beyond that newcomers Penny Boone and Isaiah Jacobs will have an opportunity to earn a lot of reps in 2020. We think both players will play in 2020 but Boone will play more.

Penny Boone was a standout running back at Martin Luther King High School in Michigan. He is a big, strong running back who runs with excellent power. Boone is not your traditional powerback, he has good receiving skill and is a versatile weapon on offense. Boone has some long speed, but will be more of a bruiser at the college level. He has the strength to wear down defenses as the game progresses and salt away victories. Boone and Jacobs could both factor into the Terps 2020 running back plans but we gave Boone the edge because he is physically ready now to be a college player. Boone will pair well with Fleet Davis to give the Maryland running game a boost in 2020.

Osita Smith – S

We picked Nick Cross as our 2nd year player to breakthrough for the Terps and we are confident he will be one of the starters in 2020. The other starter at safety will likely be Antwaine Richardson who would have started last year if he had not been hurt. Deon Jones and Jordan Mosely could factor in at safety and play some nickel as well. The way offenses are running the spread these days there is always a need for diverse defensive backs to matchup, Last year the Terps used Jones in their nickel packages, but need more players to provide good depth at safety and the nickel. Smith has a year of prep school under his belt to hone his skills and should be ready to contribute right away. He will have to work his way up the depth chart, but we believe he is talented enough to do just that.

Osita Smith played at Milford Academy in Connecticut last year. He has good size and a frame to add more strength as he matures. Smith is a good overall athlete and has the range and athleticism to play safety at the college level. He has excellent ball skill and the instincts to put himself in position to use those ball skills. Smith is a true safety who can deliver the hit and is good in run support. He has the all around advanced game to find his way into the rotation and get playing time as a true freshmen. Smith is a good fit at safety and would allow a player like Jones to play the nickel. He will provide good depth right away and will set himself up to be a starter for Maryland next year.

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Capital One Field Panorama image taken by hillels is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.