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Snap Counts & PFF Grades: Charlotte

Here is the full breakdown of snap counts and PFF grades from Saturday. A few takeaways....

- Mike Purcell graded out very well, playing 30 snaps at center playing the bulk of snaps in the second half. Once again, will be interesting to see who gets the start at center on Friday night. Wouldn't be surprised to see them go back to Purcell as they almost certainly want to get it figured out by conference play.

- Colby McDonald played well in the 2nd half, but did not qualify for the top 5 offensive grades as he only took 9 snaps.

- Once again, very interesting to see how things shake out at that No. 2 TE spot. Preston Howard got the start Saturday night as they went with a two-TE set to open the game. He played 25 snaps to Rico Walker's 19, but still feels like Walker could end up being the No. 2 blocking back as they get into the meat of the Big Ten schedule. Also worth noting that Walker caught his lone target for a 16-yard reception. Howard didn't record a catch.

- Donnell Brown had a breakout game, seeing a major uptick in snaps with 30 and then of course he had an INT and a pass breakup in coverage. It seems Kellan Wyatt will probably get the bulk of the snaps on the edge when their opponent is run heavy. But Brown should see more snaps in obvious passing downs and he showed that he can play in coverage as well as get after the QB. I listed Brown as a D-lineman and Wyatt as a LB just because that is what the school lists them as, but they essentially play the same position.

- Nice bounce-back game by Barham, who made a number of impact plays and graded out extremely well.

- Finally, Isaac Bunyun has looked solid in the two games so far and looks likely to be a major contributor along the d-line rotation for the rest of the year.

More at the link below.

STORY

On Jaeden Mustaf…

Maryland hosted top-50 guard and Terps legacy Jaeden Mustaf over the weekend and by all accounts the visit went pretty well.

With that said, this recruitment has been a pretty difficult one to read throughout the process. The latest intel going into the visit was that it seemed like the Terps, Ga. Tech and perhaps FSU and NC State were the four still in the running.

At one point it looked like NC State was the clear leader, but at this point with a decision expected in less than 48 hours, they appear to be out.

FSU has also had some buzz, but again, have heard nothing to make me think that’s where he’s headed.

As for the Terps, they felt they did a good job selling Maryland, but I’m not getting a sense that they feel good about their chances either with a decision right around the corner.

Which leaves us with Ga. Tech, who had been gathering some late buzz with new head coach Damon Stoudamire. I know I had said before that I believed someone predicted he’d commit to them based on his transfer to OTE in Atlanta, but I now have more intel to lead me to believe that he’s likely to pick the Yellow Jackets on Thursday.

Will obviously keep my ear to the ground and let you know if anything changes, but as of now, Ga. Tech seems the likely pick.

Two Local 2025 Baseball Commits

Per Testido Times

"Sammy Berman, listed as an infielder and pitcher, currently attends Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, where he earned first-team all-division honors in each of his first two years. As a sophomore, he hit .353 for the Vikings with an earned run average of 2.14 in nine appearances on the mound.


Nate Hawton-Henley is enrolled at St. John’s College High School, ranked by multiple outlets at the end of last season as the top team in the Washington, D.C. area and one of the best in the nation. He primarily plays outfield and pitches, with his fastball topping at 90 miles per hour."

Locksley named honorary head coach of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team

NORTHBROOK, Ill. – University of Maryland head football coach Michael Locksley has been named the Honorary Head Coach of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, it was announced on Tuesday.

Locksley joins 22 student-athletes that are all being recognized for making an exemplary impact in the community. Learn more about the Good Works Team and vote for the captain of the team by clicking here.

“This is a tremendous honor,” said Locksley. “The game of football has done so much for me and I’ve always wanted to use it to give back to others. So many people in my community served as mentors to me growing up and I’ve made it a priority to pay it forward - whether that be in creating opportunities for minorities in coaching, making mental health awareness a priority or making a positive impact with the Boys & Girls Club in the area where I grew up.

“I want to salute all of the young men that were named to this team as well,” Locksley continued. “They each have tremendous stories about putting others before themselves and I want to commend them for that.”

Locksley founded the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches (NCMFC) in 2020 with the goal of preparing, promoting, and producing minority coaches at all levels of football (professional, collegiate, scholastic, and recreational). The NCMFC’s mission is to remove the roadblocks and level the playing field for minority football coaches.

Through unmatched professional training and educational programs, the NCMFC prepares its coaches for greater success. In promoting them for available opportunities, the NCMFC highlights its member coaches’ accomplishments and demonstrate their abilities using data analytics. The NCMFC serves as a sounding board, a resource and an ally for all who desire meaningful diversity and inclusion in coaching by identifying minority-coaching candidates who are capable of producing on the field or in the booth.

Locksley is also a big proponent of mental health awareness. He dedicates one Maryland game each year as a "Mental Health Awareness" game. The football program works with its campus partners and the media to promote awareness of those dealing with mental health issues.

Locksley was also voted onto the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington in the summer of 2021. Locksley, who grew up in Washington, D.C., was a Boys & Girls club kid when he was a youth and his goal is to make an impact with kids in that community. After winning the 2022 Duke's Mayo Bowl, Locksley had mayo dumped on his head and as part of that he was afforded the opportunity to give $10,000 to a charity of his choosing. He selected the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington.

Terps open as favorite over UVA

Initial line has been posted for Friday night's game by yahoo sports and the Terps are 13.5 point favorites.

As I mentioned in a thread yesterday, UVA has looked pretty bad so far this season after blowing a late lead yesterday versus JMU to fall to 0-2.

The Terps went in the opposite direction, trailing early last night and coming on strong late to move to 2-0.

They will have a second consecutive home game under the lights Friday night. The game is a blackout and the Terps will wear alternate black uniforms.
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Willard and Cox in Fla. today to see...

Willard and Cox are both down in Florida today at Montverde Acadmey for Derik Queen, per Russ, who is also at Montverde.

Again, if there was ever a doubt about how big of a priority he is, there shouldn't be as he is their No. 1 target. He should be taking his official visit right about a month from now in mid-October. He's coming off of his Indiana official visit this past weekend and was at Kansas the weekend before that.


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Charlotte predictions

Almost 24 hours until kickoff, which means it’s prediction time.

Like others have said, I expect the 49ers to come into this one fired up. There’s no pretending like this game isn’t important to them. This is their Super Bowl.

That said, I just don’t see them having the firepower to keep this one close for too long.

Maryland went into their place last year and beat them like a drum. There are a lot of those same players on both sides who were a part of that beating.

On top of that, for all of Maryland’s issues along the o-line, Charlotte’s are worse.

I expect Maryland’s o-line to play much better with some tweaks up front and am looking for Gattis to throw it early and often.

I think Charlotte’s D might sack Lia a time or two and their backs are good enough that they might put a couple of drives together. But Maryland wins this one convincingly.

Terps - 42
49ers - 13

A few thoughts from last night...

With regards to the o-line, still think it is a major work in progress. Aric Harris got the start at center, but Mike Purcell still saw 30 snaps last night. Have to think they are trying to find the full-time starter before league play starts, but as of now, not sure who it will be.

And while Gottlieb Ayedze was available last night, he did not see the field. Conor Fagan, who got the start in the opener was the only player to take every snap last night on offense. At this point, you have to wonder if Fagan is the guy at right tackle the rest of the season or if they are just working Ayedze back slowly. But the fact he was the only lineman to play every snap seems telling to me.

Dyches picked up right where he left off in the opener, even though the receiving yardage wasn't there. If he continues to get the number of targets he has the first two games, he could put up monster numbers this season.

Prather had his breakout game in Week 2 with 4 catches for 80 yards and a TD after a rather pedestrian opener (although he did have a nice TD grab). From a talent standpoint, I have heard that he is the most talented of the bunch and I expect him to keep getting more looks as the season goes on.

On defense, was good to see Barham bounce back with a big game as I predicted in my three things to watch. Two sacks and two tackles for loss is exactly what they needed from him last night. Expecting big things from him as the season goes on.

Beau Brade is still the heartbeat of this defense. He's the team's returning tackler from a season ago and has led them in tackles in each of the first two games.

Finally, was nice to see the kicker Howes go 3-for-3 on FG attempts, including a 45 yarder. The kicking game has been strong recently and hopefully that continues this season.
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