Maryland football’s coaching staff is putting connections first

When Maryland soccer coach Mike Locksley displays on the 2021 season, his thoughts unsurprisingly goes to his workforce’s victory over Virginia Tech within the Pinstripe Bowl. 

As he replays the Terps’ convincing win in New York, hoping to distill what made the distinction for his workforce, it got here right down to the times main as much as the sport.

“I actually felt the connection of our workforce,” Locksley stated.

Locksley chalks a lot of the workforce’s success in Maryland’s first bowl win in 11 years to the shared expertise of creating the journey up I-95 to Yankee Stadium and going by way of the identical “pandemic standards.”

As Locksley dives into the 2022 season with many recent faces, each gamers and coaches partaking in experiences collectively is strengthening the tradition and making Maryland right into a program not like many others.

Teaching with humanity

Coach Henry Baker was no stranger to Maryland earlier than he joined Locksley’s workers in 2020 as its cornerbacks coach. Baker performed for the Terps from 1994 to 1997 and frolicked on Ralph Friedgen’s workers from 2008 to 2009.

However what’s being constructed now, he stated, is nothing like what he’s ever been part of at any stage of play. 

Baker attests Maryland is making a workforce of coaches that convey a human factor to their jobs. Throughout the teaching panorama, Baker stated, coaches get slowed down in a “do what I say” mindset.

“Soccer coaches are creatures of behavior,” Baker stated. “That type of runs rampant in our career.”

The Terps are attempting to interrupt that model of teaching.

“We now have an eclectic group of coaches,” Baker stated. “These experiences and a few of the issues that we’ve gone by way of as males enable us to have the ability to sit there and relate to what these children are going by way of.”

The workers’s experiences as coaches, husbands and fathers, Baker stated, helps to create a partnership between themselves and the gamers. At the present time, Baker feels that’s one of the best ways to assist get gamers to their objectives.

[Season in Review: Maryland football took an important step forward in 2021]

Baker provides loads of information on the sector, but it surely’s usually been referring to his gamers that brings the unit nearer.

“To construct that brotherhood, you’ve simply gotta be susceptible, join with the particular person subsequent to you,” cornerback Jakorian Bennett stated. “Speaking, venting to that particular person, telling them about your life, that goes a great distance.” 

As a former Maryland participant, Baker understands the significance of staying tied to your alma mater. The Terps have positioned an emphasis on reconnecting with their alumni since Locksley grew to become head coach, however constructing stronger bonds in the course of the gamers’ careers is changing into extra essential to this system.

“It’s actually a lifetime brotherhood and friendship that you find yourself growing when you’re right here on campus,” Baker stated. “Finally, that’s what folks actually need to be part of. We need to go someplace the place it seems like household, and it’s extra of a brotherhood versus simply what they do in between the strains on the sector.”

An NFL-bound bond

If there’s one relationship that’s displaying the byproduct of this teaching technique, it’s tight ends coach Mike Miller and Chigoziem Okonkwo. 

Regardless of Miller arriving in Faculty Park a 12 months after Okonkwo, the duo’s ascent to nationwide prominence has gone practically hand-in-hand. 

Okonkwo is arguably one of many top-10 tight finish prospects anticipated to have his identify referred to as within the 2022 NFL Draft, and Miller was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in the course of the offseason. However alongside the way in which, it was all about mutual respect — one other partnership between participant and coach.

“It’s not like, ‘Hey shut up, I let you know what to do,’” Miller stated. “It’s extra like, we work collectively, we present up day-after-day. I inform [Okonkwo], match my depth, match my mentality after which he ought to be saying, ‘No coach, you match my depth, you match my mentality.’”

[Photo essay: Maryland football celebrates first bowl win since 2010]

That tactic yielded main outcomes as Okonkwo labored his means again from lacking the 2020 season due to medical causes to being one of the dynamic tight ends within the Huge Ten. 

After the season, Okonkwo’s inventory continued to rise as he placed on a present on the NFL Mix. His 40-yard sprint time of 4.52 seconds was the quickest amongst tight ends on the scouting mix. 

When Maryland hosted its personal professional day, Okonkwo confirmed off extra of his abilities to the 45 scouts in attendance. Miller was there too, which meant rather a lot to the Powder Springs, Georgia native. 

“It’s type of like your dad sending you off,” Okonkwo stated. “It’s a extremely cool second to see the man that helped me get to that time sending me off.” 

Miller was very pleased with all of the younger tight finish achieved placing himself on the map. However Miller had a transparent influence on making ready Okonkwo for the subsequent stage. And his efforts didn’t go unnoticed. 

Miller was promoted to co-offensive coordinator only a 12 months after taking up the job as passing recreation coordinator. He was additionally named to the American Soccer Coaches Affiliation’s 35 Underneath 35 Coaches Management Institute in December 2021.

In response to Locksley, Miller had alternatives within the offseason to go away this system and coach elsewhere. 

Nevertheless, Miller stayed on with the Terps. The hyperlink he and Okonkwo made is one Maryland goes to need to replicate even when Okonkwo is catching passes on Sundays. 

“After I recruit children, I inform them it’s all a couple of life-on-life relationship. I felt like I had that with [Okonkwo],” Miller stated. “I imply, he’s babysat my children earlier than, come over to my home and had dinner. We work collectively.”

Teaching shake-up

In his fourth season on the helm of Maryland soccer, Locksley’s workers has been transformed as soon as once more. New coaches and a plethora of function modifications imply the Terps’ teaching unit seems to be completely different.  

Even attending to that group required some turmoil. 

In January, Maryland had a verbal settlement with Kevin Steele to develop into its new defensive coordinator. Steele had begun working with the Terps and been of their places of work earlier than backing out to hitch Miami, in accordance with The Washington Publish. 

Locksley then promoted Brian Williams to tackle the function after serving as co-defensive coordinator and changing into the protection’s head play caller within the closing two video games of the season. 

“Like all a part of our program, those that aren’t right here don’t concern me. Why they aren’t right here doesn’t concern me. I’ll give attention to those which might be right here, and we really feel actually enthusiastic about Brian Williams, the job he did to finish the season,”  Locksley stated. 

Among the many model new additions to the workers are safeties coach Wes Neighbors, inside linebackers coach Lance Thompson and vast receivers coach and passing recreation coordinator Gunter Brewer. 

If there’s one who is aware of the significance of the coach-player relationship, it’s Brewer. 

Brewer has a status as one of many high receivers coaches within the nation. He developed the likes of Dez Bryant and Biletnikoff Award winners Randy Moss and Justin Blackmon. 

Locksley first tried to rent Brewer when he took over as head coach of the Terps, nevertheless, outdoors circumstances saved the 2 separated.

“Timing is every part,” Brewer stated. “We tried to hook up a couple of years earlier, and it simply didn’t work out that means. I used to be popping out of the NFL and my spouse is a breast most cancers survivor and medically and family-wise, it was a extremely good match the place I used to be at that specific time.”

However after Brewer’s latest run with Louisville ended, it didn’t require a lot to get the 30-year veteran on the workers.

“When the chance got here again round, I pursued it, he didn’t need to pursue me,” Brewer stated.

Maryland already featured a stellar group of receivers, and including Brewer might take the corps to a different stage. 

Past his expertise, Brewer brings a mentality that’s already catching on with the Terp receivers: “freak time.” 

In response to Maryland receiver Rakim Jarrett, at any time when Brewer enters a gathering, he walks right into a room and says, “freak time,” to which his unit of receivers reply, “present time.”

Whereas reiterating that his vast receivers are “freaks” may not sound just like the form of mantra the remainder of the workforce takes on, the gamers have taken to the thought and admire the passion Brewer brings.

“He deal with you such as you’re a grown man,” latest switch receiver Jacob Copeland stated. “Simply being round coach Brewer every day, he teaches me one thing new. Throughout the offseason, I’d meet up with him earlier, undergo performs, study the formations and ideas.”

Whereas teaching strategies and techniques are essential to victory, Maryland coaches agree all of it begins with buy-in from their gamers. 

The Terps discovered tangible success for the primary time within the Locksley period in 2021. And even the latest of coaches can see the gamers need extra. 

Placing collectively Maryland’s soccer program over the previous few years has been an intensive course of and is much from over. However establishing a brand new expectation round a training workers of empathy is proving a significant optimistic up to now. 

“Seeing the angle that they’ve, seeing the twinkle of their eyes, the starvation that these guys have. They’re able to go. They see it,” Neighbors stated.