Back at his natural position, OLB Neeo Avery ready to become impact piece in Maryland football's defense

Ahmed Ghafir
Aug 1
2 min read

Maryland football’s front seven will look to replace nearly all its starting production from one season ago, but they’ll have several experienced players in Maryland’s system to step into impact roles to become part of the solution in 2025.

One of those pieces is Neeo Avery, a former four-star out of Good Counsel now entering his third season with the program. After eventually missing the 2023 season due to injury, Avery became a rotational piece along the defensive line where he posted a pair of tackles and one tackle for loss in seven games during 2024. But now Avery, a 6-foot-6, 249-pound defender, is back at outside linebacker - the same position that he once dazzled at when he blossomed into a blue-chip prospect out of high school.

Now soaking in the coaching from new defensive coordinator and OLB coach Ted Monachino, Avery feels comfortable in his natural position.

“Me recently, making that move back to linebacker, he just walked me through it, teaching me about the game, about the drops,” Avery said this week. “He coached explosive edge rushers, his insight on that, that’s really helped.

Avery noted that “hand-eye coordination and my get-offs” were the focus through offseason workouts. “I think that's where I was lagging at a lot of times, brushing up basically just small details.”

Monachino stressed that Maryland’s defense will look to play “fast and physical” with the young pieces like Trey Reddick, Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis chipping in alongside Avery, but the chance for the linebackers to play more downhill in 2025 vs. 2024 adds confidence to the potential in the front seven.

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“I like that we can play so fast. I think that translates to my game. I would say, just translates to my game that I can get off to be a game changer,” he added. “He's really a guy who wants to let us play, I like that. Great guy. Him being my position coach and coaching in the league, coaching so many guys for so many years, I think some of the insight he has is very valuable that I haven't really gotten yet. So I think that's a big part.”

Now set to kick off day three of fall camp on Friday afternoon, Maryland’s defense has started putting together the pieces of what hopes to be a bounceback season after reloading through the transfer portal. With five additions along the defensive line and three in the secondary, including a pair of starting-caliber cornerbacks in Dontay Joyner and Jamare Glasker, Maryland will look to find ways to create pressure within the front seven. After finishing 128th among FBS schools in 2024 with just 14 sacks, Avery knows consistency will be the theme for the defense heading into the Aug. 30 opener.

“We need to start fast and finish fast and stay consistent and show what we can do.”

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