After signing with Maryland as a four-star prospect out of St. John’s (DC), Taizse Johnson is among the veterans leading an experienced defensive line into the 2024 season, but the chemistry within the position group has been hard to ignore.
In the hours prior to move-in before the start of fall camp, a handful of defensive linemen ironed out details to make their way back inside Jones-Hill House for extra reps. “We all feel very close knit. That chemistry was keeping us going,” Johnson said after Wednesday’s practice. While he and Tommy Akingbesote prepare for their final season with the program, it’s been the star underclassman who has led offseason efforts: Jordan Phillips.
“I feel like Jordan Phillips has been a driving force for that and he just sets the tone for the entire room. Jordan’s always working, whether it’s before practice, after practice, and that just resonates throughout the whole, not just the [defensive] line, but the whole team,” Johnson added.
“Hard work is contagious. We’re seeing guys getting extra work, whether it’s before or after practice, during practice and they’re going hard. Like you have no choice but to like follow through.”
While Phillips has been a motivator on the field, head coach Mike Locksley has added additional motivation for his team after losing 90 pounds this offseason.
“You can’t help but like feel good about a guy like losing weight like that,” Johnson added. “I see that as him making a sacrifice. He could’ve just been like content with how he was looking beforehand, but like the hard work we’ve seen him do, it resonates throughout the whole team. I’m like ‘oh, wow. Coach Locks is taking a step forward in his own daily life. Like, let’s see what else we can do better.’”
After recalling problems with “lack of leadership” when he arrived in the program in 2021, Johnson has helped to reshape the program’s culture where he’s since taken it upon himself to step into a leadership role.
“I felt like I had to take a step into my leadership with this being my last year, with me being a senior, I feel like I have to be a role model for the younger guys coming in. Just making the standard, being the standard and not deviating from that because like, no matter what you, no matter how you feel like guys are going to follow you, whether you like it or not when you’re an older guy. So just trying to be that role model for the younger guys coming in and letting them know like the standards, the standard and the way we do things around here is non-negotiable.”
Maryland is set to kick off the season on Saturday, August 31 vs. UConn.
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