Maryland football TE Dorian Fleming looks to build on production after Mackey Award Watch List selection

Ahmed Ghafir
2 days ago
2 min read

For the second consecutive year, Maryland tight end Dorian Fleming has been named to the John Mackey Award Watch List.

After arriving as a productive weapon after totaling 49 catches for 558 yards and six touchdowns at Georgia State in 2024, the Virginia native ranked second among Big Ten tight ends with 40 catches for 351 yards in 2025en route to an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection. Yet ahead of his second season with the program, Fleming is looking to showcase himself as an all-around tight end in the room.

"My next step, just coming into this season, was really just more focus on how can I be looked at as a more physical blocker?," Fleming said ahead of practice. "I feel like the big talk is yeah, he can catch the ball, but can he be consistent and be able to stay in the run game and block him to be more versus? So that's just my biggest off season."

As Fleming emphasized striking along with his foot and hand placement, he'll return as one of two veterans in a room that once again features Preston Howard after one season at Auburn. The duo lead what offensive coordinator Clint Trickett described as a "deep, deep room" before noting it's the unit he's "probably most excited about."

“I was fortunate enough, my first or second job was to be the tight end coach for Lane [Kiffin] at FAU and we had a Mackey Award winner there and this room is very similar to what I had with Harrison Bryant,” Trickett said.

While Fleming looks to make his preseason goals materialize of becoming the all-around tight end, he'll do so alongside Howard at the top where the duo add versatile receiving threats capable of capitalizing on mismatches against linebackers downfield. Yet they're far from the only ones in the room as Trickett highlighted the quality in the room.

"Between Preston and Dorian, a 1A/1B and I'm excited about what both bring. They're both very similar but then they also do things that the other may be just a little bit better than the other one. How to utilize that, how smart they are, how selfless they are. They're both going to have huge years. AJ [Szymanski] is definitely going to help us, he played a lot last year and definitely can do everything that we need to, especially being an on the ball tight end. And JT [Taggart], that unique size. Not everyone has that and he's done a phenomenal job of learning, taking it and I love his attitude that he take every day into it. The young guys -- Damon Hall, fast as all get out. Brayden Marko, the list goes on and on. Very excited about that room. Coach Schmitt's done a phenomenal job, ready to go."

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