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.