Maryland’s veteran defense gives fans plenty of optimism heading into Brian Williams’s third season as defensive coordinator, now joined by Aazaar Abdul-Rahim heading into 2024. The secondary saw several starters depart in favor of the NFL this offseason, but the linebacker room saw a pair of vets depart in Jaishawn Barham (Michigan) and Fa’Najae Gotay (Auburn). Still, inside linebacker coach Lance Thompson will have a pair of experienced pieces to lean on in Ruben Hyppolite and Caleb Wheatland.
While Hyppolite’s return gives the defense its top tackler from last season, Wheatland became an integral piece in last year’s rotation after playing in every game and finishing second on the team in sacks (3), one of four players with at least three sacks in 2023. Building on his production as an underclassman fueled him through offseason workouts as part of a defense that’s grown close into fall camp.
“We keep accountability across the board – offense and defense. Defense, we’re trying to raise our standard every day, trying to hold guys accountable not to loaf, give good effort every day,” Wheatland told IBG. “Kudos to our coaches to be able to hold up that standard too and work with us on that.”
Part of Wheatland’s ascension into a starting role is transitioning into a vet, becoming another resource for the young talent behind him in Michael Harris, Daniel Wingate, Keyshawn Flowers and Keyari James.
“Especially with Ruben [Hyppolite], he knows how to lead by example so just taking that from him and being able to do that for the younger guys coming in has been great. And in that room, we’re really faith-based, myself I really keep Christ in my life, making sure that it’s at the top of my list. I would say we do too as a team too. We keep our team comradery.”
Maryland’s spring game featured a pair of honorary coaches in First Baptist Church of Glenarden’s Pastor John K. Jenkins and Zion Church’s Pastor Keith Battle as head coach Mike Locksley recalled the impact that faith had on the 2007 Illinois team that went to the Rose Bowl.
“A story about Vontae Davis, who I recruited out of Dunbar in DC. My taking players to church started with Grandma Adeline, who raised Vontae and Vernon. I recruited Vernon to Maryland then she said, ‘I thought you said Maryland was the place’ and then I took Vontae to Illinois. And she said ‘well if he’s coming out there, he’s got to go to church every Sunday, coach. You know how I am.’ And so, every Sunday that Vontae Davis was at Illinois, I had to take him to church. I wasn’t the guy that went every Sunday but because I sat in her living room and told her I would, I did. And it became a thing to where after the first time I took him, a bunch of players said ‘coach, I want to go to church.’ Next thing I know, we’ve got 35, 40 players going to church and Illinois goes to the Rose Bowl,” Locksley said after the spring game.
“I’m telling you, we’re taking the next step and part of that next step is maybe creating a team that has a foundation behind the faith.”
To Wheatland, capitalizing on the expanded resources available to him and his teammates has become a consistent theme through the offseason.
“I feel like, especially during the offseason, we really started to open up different avenues like in the facility, going to church on Sundays and making sure we have a bus. And then we have bible study on Fridays coming up in the season. And we also have FCA on Monday which is for all the athletes to go to. [Mike Locksley] has really done a great job providing avenues to the team to express our faith and be able to grow in our relationship with Christ, so it’s honestly been amazing.”
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