GREENSBORO, N.C. — Well, day one’s  in the books, and Michael Lemaire and I have settled comfortably into our place at the La Quinta Inn, which has got a view of the pool and everything.

We’ll have plenty more coverage here on the Trail and in the print edition Thursday, but here’s a quick hit of some of the day’s big Terp storylines.

1.) Torrey Smith doesn’t seem to realize how good he’s been. When Lemaire asked him if he knew he was within striking distance of the all-time NCAA record for receiving yards (720, to be exact), Smith was, to say the least, flabbergasted. But he did later temper his own pride with a bit of selflessness, conceding that he’d rather not break the record this year if it meant him seeing a lot of returns.

2.) Jamarr Robinson’s prospects are looking up. Granted, these sentiments come from Smith and Alex Wujciak, so take them at face value. But besides acknowledging the obvious — Robinson’s natural athletic ability, his improved leadership on the team — both players said Robinson’s accuracy and grasp of the offense have improved this spring and summer. If the Terps hope to do anything worthwhile this year, they’d better be right.

3.) The offensive line knows it’s under a microscope. Oftentimes, you won’t hear a player admit another player (or players) is feeling the heat to perform. Today, Smith readily admitted the offense is giving the offensive line a bit of tough love. With perhaps the fate of the offense resting on its collective shoulders, the line needs to play beyond its youth — as many as three sophomores could start come September — and pedigree — two former walk-ons are seemingly entrenched starters.

4.) This could be a big year for Don Brown. And I mean that in a couple ways. The defensive line should be solid, if not spectacular. The linebacker corps should be one of the ACC’s best. And the secondary should be an improvement from last year’s unit. With those qualities, plus another offseason for the Terps to fully digest Brown’s pressure-happy scheme, this might be the year the defense lives up to the hype it got all last year. But on a larger scale, a solid showing for Brown and Co. might serve as an audition of sorts for the former UMass man should the coaching staff get the boot after this season.

More tomorrow. Follow us on twitter @DBKSports, @jonas_shaffer and @Mike_Lemaire.

Jonas Shaffer is The Diamondback’s sports editor. He can be reached at shaffer@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jonas_shaffer.

Sunday will represent the official start of the ACC football season, as two players and the head coach of each of the conference’s 12 teams will descend upon the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. to answer questions from the media about the upcoming season.

The players will be available for interviews starting at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday while the coaches will hold press conferences the following day starting at the same time. The Diamondback sports editor Jonas Shaffer and myself will be on hand for both days and will be updating Terrapin Trail as well as @DBKSports on Twitter.

The Terps will be represented by head coach Ralph Friedgen, as well as junior wide receiver Torrey Smith, and senior linebacker Alex Wujciak. A list of the who will be attending from the other schools as well as any other information you may want to know can be found here.

The actual season won’t start September 6, but with only a little more than a month remaining until the Terps take the field to square off with Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, its certainly not too early to pinpoint some of the bigger stories and question marks surrounding the program. Question marks and stories that the Maryland representatives will  be answering at length during the festivities this weekend.

We have highlighted five specific storylines the Terps will need to address not only on Sunday and Monday, but also once the season begins.

1. Will there be a quarterback battle?

At the end of the spring, Friedgen said Jamarr Robinson will be the starter in the opener against Navy, and he will likely echo that statement in Greensboro should the subject come up. Robinson played well in the spring game and the junior will likely be afforded every opportunity to keep the job, provided he plays well.

In seven games last season, including two starts down the stretch against Virginia Tech and Florida State, Robinson was 46-for-85 for 459 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 53 times for 229 yards and no touchdowns.

Robinson is probably the most athletic and mobile quarterback the Terps have had in a long time, and the coaches have raved about his arm strength in the past. But there are still questions about his accuracy and decision-making, and with his job potentially hanging in the balance, Friedgen won’t hesitate to make a change if Robinson struggles.

Redshirt freshman Danny O’Brien impressed the Terps’ coaching staff in practice last season with his strong arm and work ethic, and will be waiting in the wings should Robinson falter.

In addition, 6-foot-5, 198-pound freshman Tyler Smith will arrive on campus this Fall as one of the most highly touted quarterback recruits during Friedgen’s tenure. Rivals.com rated Smith a three-star prospect and the No. 16 dual-threat quarterback in the country. It will be interesting to see how he progresses once he gets in the flow of practice.

(more…)

Running back Caleb Porzel is leaving the football team and is no longer enrolled at the university, an athletic department official confirmed Thursday to the Washington Post.

Apparently, the decision is related to academics. Porzel sat out the team’s Tuesday and Thursday workouts this spring to concentrate on classes, though he did participate in Saturday practices. The Baltimore Sun reported that he would transfer.

As a true freshman for the team last season, Porzel played in seven games and started one. He burned his redshirt after starter Da’Rel Scott broke his wrist in the fifth game of the season and ran for 75 yards on 30 carries.

The speedy back from Good Counsel High School (Olney, Md.) was ranked a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com.

This year, he was expected to split playing time with Davin Megget and D.J. Adams behind Scott.

Former cornerback Nolan Carroll works out at the Terps' Pro Timing Day in March. Photo by Steven Overly/The Diamondback

Nolan Carroll said former Terp and current Miami Dolphins tight end Joey Haynos hinted at it as last week’s NFL Draft approached.

Dolphins Executive V.P. of Football Operations Bill Parcells, generally regarded as one of the best talent evaluators in the league, liked what he saw from Carroll when the 6-foot-1, 200-pound cornerback worked out for the Dolphins in South Florida.

So the Dolphins were definitely on Carroll’s radar on Saturday, when Miami used their fifth-round selection (145th overall) to pick the Florida native.

(more…)

Terrapin football defensive end Derek Drummond injured his MCL during the Terps’ scrimmage on Saturday, but Coach Ralph Friedgen said after practice today the junior likely won’t need surgery.

“We actually did the MRI on him but then [Team Doctor Craig] Bennett got sick so he wasn’t able to see the MRI,” Friedgen said. “We think he doesn’t need an operation, but until Dr. Bennett says so it’s not official.”

Friedgen said Drummond’s swelling has gone down, and he would probably need about four to six weeks to recover if he does not have surgery.

(more…)