Posts Tagged ‘Terp football’

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February 19th, 2009 | 06:37 pm

Meet the Assistant: Charles Bankins

New Terrapin special teams/tight ends coach Charles Bankins has worked at Terp summer football camps since 2000. The Maryland native replaced current Terp offensive coordinator James Franklin as wide receivers coach at James Madison University in 1998. So unlike new defensive coordinator Don Brown, the former Massachusetts head coach who met coach Ralph Friedgen during the interview process, Bankins had plenty of Terp ties.

Bankins, who initially talked to Franklin about the special teams opening at the American Football Coaches Association Convention in January, came to College Park to interview on Friday. By Sunday, the former Richmond assistant had a job offer.

Terrapin Trail reached Bankins earlier today by phone from his new office in the Gossett Team House.

Terrapin Trail- You’re going to be the third guy they’ve had in for this position in three years. What do you think you can bring to this position?
Charles Bankins- I’ve known [Ray Rychleski, Terp special teams coach from 2001-2007,] for a while, and I’d followed what he’d done. He did a lot of great things here. You know, coach [Danny] Pearman was only here for one year. I just think I bring a lot of enthusiasm, and I’m going to bring some of the pro schemes we used at the St. Louis Rams [in 2005]. I’m going to try to implement some of those things. Most places I’ve been we’ve been pretty good as a return team. And I want to still follow in coach [Rychleski’s] footsteps in not giving up any blocked punts.

TT- Is that streak, [no blocked punts since 1999], something you’re going to take great pride in to try to keep that legacy going?
CB- No doubt. The foundation’s been set. Right now I’m the torch bearer. I’ve just got to keep it rolling.

TT- Now you’re going to lose the kicker [Obi Egekeze], but you’re returning an All-ACC punter [Travis Baltz] and a guy who set the conference record for return yards [wide receiver Torrey Smith]. The cupboard is certainly not bare. What excites you about the special teams unit here?
CB- I’m always excited about special teams. It takes special players to play special teams, and we’ve got a lot of special players here. We’ve always had the next man up mentality. No matter who is here, we’re going to expect people to ‘Fear the Turtle’ when it comes to special teams.

TT- I know you’re a Maryland native. Was coming home something that interested you?
CB- No doubt. My parents live in southern Maryland, and my brother is in D.C. 15 minutes from campus. In fact, during the camps, I would stay with him. To be able to be around and near your former coaches, guys you played against, and your parents, that’s a special feeling.

TT- At Richmond, you got to work with Tim Hightower. To be able to see what he did this season and especially in the playoffs, how special was that for you?
CB- He’s the third kid I’ve coached who had the chance to be in the Super Bowl. I kinda felt bad he didn’t get to win one, but it’s always special to see the guys that you coach be able to come in as a rookie and perform at that level. You kinda feel like you had something to do with that…

TT- Coming in at the middle of February, spring practice is coming up. What do you want to see out there?
CB- First and foremost, I’m a fundamentalist. We’re going to make sure we’re sound on all the fundamentals. Once you get the fundamentals down, you can plug them into any scheme. If you have fundamentals, you can play fast and get after people. We’re going to be fast, physical and furious. We’re going to get after people around here.

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February 18th, 2009 | 08:33 pm

Bankins completes Terp coaching staff

Terp coach Ralph Friedgen has finalized his coaching staff for the 2009-2010 season with the announcement of former Richmond assistant Charles Bankins as special teams/tight ends coach.

The Leonardtown native becomes the third person to hold the title in three seasons. He replaces Danny Pearman, who left after one season to join the staff at Clemson.

Most of Bankins coaching experience has come at Football Championship Subdivision programs, such as James Madison and Hampton. Most recently, he has been with the Spiders the past two seasons, where he mentored Arizona Cardinals’ and former Richmond running back Tim Hightower in 2007. Bankins spent the 2005 season coaching in the NFL as a special teams assistant with the St. Louis Rams.

The Terps faced two holes on their coaching staff following the departure of a pair of assistants prior to their Humanitarian Bowl appearance this season. Friedgen made quick work of the defensive coordinator position, bringing former Massachusetts head coach Don Brown into the fold in mid-January. But the eighth-year coach waited to fill the special teams opening, saying on National Signing Day (Feb. 4) that he had interviewed many qualified candidates but still had some work to do before announcing his decision.

Neither Friedgen nor Bankins were available for comment.

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February 12th, 2009 | 08:29 pm

The Road to the Combine

The Terp football team just graduated a Friedgen-era high 30 seniors. Naturally, several of them have aspirations of continuing their career at the next level.

To prepare, center Edwin Williams, guard Jaimie Thomas, defensive tackle Jeremy Navarre and linebacker Moise Fokou are training in the Atlanta-area with Chip Smith at Competitive Edge Sports, which has trained NFL Pro Bowlers such as Albert Haynesworth and Asante Samuel, according to its website.

Next week, Williams, Thomas and Fokou will head to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. (They’ll be joined by former teammates Darrius Heyward-Bey, Kevin Barnes and Dan Gronkowski.)

I caught up with Williams, projected as the draft’s seventh-best center by www.draftcountdown.com, to get a few thoughts as he prepares.

Williams, who went to Atlanta from the East-West Shrine Game where he was on the victorious East squad, said he has been working out about four hours per day. That includes two hours of running and two hours of lifting, in addition to one pool workout a week.

“I’m just trying to get myself as light as I possibly can for athleticism, so I can just get at it,” Williams said. “That’s what the combine is. As far as the drills go, it’s all running around, fast-twitch muscles and flexibility. I’m just trying to get on top of my game. It’s going to be interesting, though.”

Williams has been clocked at 5.40 in the 40. He’s hoping to best 5.30 in Indianapolis.

That will be the hard part for the always affable Williams, who was consistently the star of the team’s Tuesday press lunches. Williams said he talked to some NFL personnel at the Shrine game and has been getting coaching at Competitive Edge Sports, but he’s confident in his interviewing skills.

“It’s really being myself,” Williams said. “It’s gotten me this far. I don’t see why I should change now.”

It’s all pretty exciting for Williams, who admitted he was a bit star struck when he arrived at the training facility. He’s currently living with players from Ohio University and Wisconsin, and training alongside players like former Oklahoma and Sam Houston State quarterback Rhett Bomar and former Oklahoma wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias.

“People aren’t out there being cut-throat,” Willaims said. “Everyone’s helping each other out, being positive. Everyone knows that really it’s out of our hands right now.”

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February 9th, 2009 | 12:42 pm

The Family Man

As I led off with in today’s Diamondback story, “James Franklin was a wanted man.”

He could’ve picked up and left after his one season in College Park for some good jobs around the country, but towards the top of the list of things that kept Franklin around (in addition to the fact that he was named ‘coach in waiting’ Friday) was the desire to keep his young family in one place.

Franklin has bounced around the country since he landed his first NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision job as tight ends coach at Washington State in 1998. His travels have taken him to full-time gigs in Idaho, Maryland, Wisconsin, Kansas and NFL internships in Miami and Philadelphia before he returned to the Terps in December 2007.

Franklin’s wife, Fumi, who brought young daughters Ava and Addison to Friday’s press conference wearing Terp attire, spoke of this opportunity as “stability” for her family.

Franklin is from the Philadelphia-area, and his aunt used to work in admissions at this university, so he’s very familiar with the area, part of the reason he is such a great recruiter in the region.

Athletic Director Debbie Yow talked about how excited Franklin was to return to the Terps, and all the way back in August, Franklin told me he looked at this job as a long term opportunity. After the press conference concluded, Franklin expanded on his desire to be a Terp for the long haul.

“If you look at my resume, I haven’t had the opportunity to stay places a long time,” Franklin said. “So being able to be here and have deep roots in this community and not have to move my family, and hopefully I can come in and be head coach and what I’d like to do is retire here and be able to retire as one of the winningest coaches in college football and never have to move my family.”

That’s a pretty ambitious list of career goals, but Friday’s announcement was the first step toward achieving it.

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January 26th, 2009 | 12:07 pm

Terps hand out hardware

According to an official release that came into my inbox, the Terp football team “officially capped the 2008 football season” at its annual awards banquet Sunday.

There were a few interesting things to glean from this usual mix of on and off field awards, although there were few surprises. (Who but fifth-year quarterback Jordan Steffy could have taken home the C.P. “Lefty” McIntosh Public Service Award?)

Darrius Heyward-Bey took home offensive MVP honors for the second striaght season. It’s a little surprising considering Heyward-Bey’s numbers were down a little in his last season as a Terp, and he missed the season finale at Boston College. Da’Rel Scott, who was named most improved offensive player, more than likely could’ve taken this honor if he didn’t miss significant portions of three games with injuries and a benching.

Linebacker Alex Wujciak was the defensive MVP, which was about right as he led the team in tackles. Few would’ve predicted Wujciak would take the title as leading tackler on a team that returned a veteran linebacking corps, but he was the most consistent part of an inconsistent defense. Moise Fokou was the only player in the ACC with at least 75 tackles and five sacks and could’ve made a strong case here as well.

On a team that featured the most seniors in the Friedgen-era (30), senior defensive tackle Jeremy Navarre took home the Ray Krouse Award for Most Valuable Player. Navarre made the move from end to tackle this season to help the team and had a fine season despite being a little undersized. Center Edwin Williams, a 3-year starter, received the Terrapin Club Award, given to the senior for “the greatest contribution to football.” On this team, that’s an award Williams can feel good about.

A final interesting (and potentially comforting) note is redshirt freshman quarterback Jamarr Robinson was named the offensive scout team player of the year. Robinson, who spent time as the No. 2 QB last season, heads into next season as the back-up for Chris Turner with Steffy’s graduation and Josh Portis’ transfer.

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January 7th, 2009 | 06:51 pm

Heyward-Bey Will Enter Draft

Terp wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey will bypass his senior season to enter the NFL Draft, he announced today.

Heyward-Bey, an honorable mention All-ACC selection this season, declined to make his possible jump to the NFL a story throughout the season despite speculation that this would be his last in a Terp uniform. But with the January 15 decision deadline looming, Heyward-Bey announced his decision in an afternoon conference call.

“After talking to my mom and Coach [Ralph] Friedgen, we kind of came together and decided that was the best decision for me to make right now in my life,” Heyward-Bey said.

The speedster finished the season with 42 receptions for 609 yards and five receiving touchdowns, all team highs. He also rushed 15 times for 202 yards and a score.

Heyward-Bey’s junior season was marked with the inconsistency that plagued the Terps throughout the season. He found the endzone in the Terps’ first four games before scoring just two touchdowns in the last nine games, including two appearances in which he failed to record a catch. The fourth-year player missed the team’s season-ending loss at Boston College with a calf injury before returning for the Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 30.

However, his combination of speed and size should make him an attractive draft candidate despite lacking the numbers of some underclassmen who have already declared, such as North Carolina’s Hakeem Nicks and Rutgers’ Kenny Britt.

Heyward-Bey said his decision was not based on the choices of other players across the nation. He declined to get into the specific feedback coach Ralph Friedgen had gathered since the Terps’ season wrapped up with a Humanitarian Bowl win. But he said he was satisfied with what he heard.

“If it wasn’t positive, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation right now,” said Heyward-Bey, who will not be enrolled in classes this semester as he prepares for the Draft but hopes to get his diploma in the near future.

Friedgen, whose team must replace its top two wide receivers in Heyward-Bey and graduating senior Danny Oquendo going into next season, said the decision was not taken lightly by the receiver he views as having the most potential of any he has coached.

“[Heyward-Bey]’s done it the right way,” Friedgen said. “And obviously, I feel like it’s the best thing for him. He has my blessing.”

January 15 is the deadline for underclassmen to enter their names for the April 25-26 draft. He is the second Terp in as many seasons to forego his senior season. Linebacker Erin Henderson declared after last season and was not selected in the 2008 NFL Draft.

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December 30th, 2008 | 05:25 pm

Terp Trouble

Just got handed a press release from Maryland Media Relations. Seven players- linebackers Trey Covington, Derek Drummond, Moise Fokou, and Antwine Perez, defensive back Jamari McCollough, wide receiver Danny Oquendo, and running back Da’Rel Scott will not start today due to a curfew violation. It did not specify any details or say how long the players will sit.

The Terps’ linebacking corps takes a significant hit with this development, specifically the LEO position. It will be interesting to say how long these players will be out and how the Terps can whether the storm without several significant defensive players and their starting running back and a veteran wide receiver.

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December 28th, 2008 | 09:21 pm

An Action-packed Boise Sunday

The Terps continued to take full advantage of their time in the great Northwest with another full day in Boise. After spending the morning snowtubing, they finally took to the blue turf at Bronco Stadium this afternoon for their final full practice of the season. The team was forced indoors by snow yesterday and has a walk-through tomorrow before Tuesday’s game.

Today’s practice was closed, but Friedgen finished practice with the annual “senior carry-offs”, where each senior is picked up by a couple of players and carried a few feet as his teammates cheer. This year’s edition was kicked off when quarterback Jordan Steffy, who received the ACC’s Humanitarian Award at a dinner last night, was helped off the field by running back Da’Rel Scott and quarterback Chris Turner. Seniors were generally picked up by their position mates with a notable exception being center Edwin Williams. The jovial lineman got a lift from Turner and defensive lineman Obum Akunyili, with whom he has had many spirited battles on the practice field.

“It was a long one,” Friedgen said after each of the Terps’ record number of seniors got his due. “Guys didn’t have to lift weights after that”

Friedgen skipped the team’s trip to Bogus Basin for “Winter Sports Day” to watch film on Nevada, and after hearing about how much fun his team had on the mountain, he couldn’t miss an opportunity to take a jab at his players and staff.

“Some guys come to tube, and some guys come to play,” Friedgen deadpanned.

Friedgen also said his team is relatively healthy heading into the game. Tight end Dan Gronkowski tweaked his injured ankle in practice but later returned to action. The biggest concern could be offensive coordinator James Franklin, who has battled flu-like symptoms the past few days.

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December 10th, 2008 | 07:20 pm

Williams No “Monster”

Anyone who has spent time around the Terp football team will say Edwin Williams is a character.

But apparently he’s not a movie character.

Back in 2004 when Williams was serving his redshirt year, the senior Terp center auditioned for the role of “Monster” in the film Take the Lead, which came out in 2006 and starred Antonio Banderas.

Williams didn’t get the part, which went to newcomer Brandon D. Andrews.

The reason, according to Williams? He was too coordinated.

 After finally begrudgingly watching the movie, Williams was convinced it was the Hollywood guys who were missing out.

“I definitely could’ve handled the role,” Williams said. “He was dancing with some girl at her debutante ball. It was ballroom dancing. I definitely could’ve handled that.”

Williams was just excited to audition because he was told the role might involve dancing with singer/starlet Christina Milian. The role eventually went to the significantly-less-attractive Lauren Collins.

Williams acknowledges that years in the trenches have robbed him of his once-boyish good looks, but he’s glad his movie career never took off after the view of Hollywood he got during the audition, which took place at nearby DeMatha High School (Williams’ alma mater).

“[The fast-talking man conducting the audition] was like, ‘yeah, yeah. That’s good, but can you be more uncoordinated,’” Williams said. “I was trying, but I don’t think I fit the role if they was looking for the guy I saw in the movie.”

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November 6th, 2008 | 09:18 pm

Questions Answered- 1st Quarter Update

7-0 Virginia Tech after one quarter.

To clear up a couple of the mysteries coming into this game: Quarterback Sean Glennon started at quarterback after he and back-up Tyrod Taylor entered the game questionable with left ankle injuries. He threw a first quarter touchdown for the game’s only score as both Taylor and third-stringer Cory Holt watched from the Va. Tech sideline wearing headsets. On the Terps side, defensive end Mack Frost, linebacker Dave Philistin, tackle Scott Burley and running back Da’Rel Scott are all playing despite coming in questionable. Kicker Obi Egekeze slid a 46-yard field goal wide right on the Terps’ first drive after a 4-4 passing start from quarterback Chris Turner.

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