Profiles In Terpage – A Countdown To The Football Season: Kevin Dorsey
By petevolk
A recurring series where we will profile every player and coach on Maryland’s roster, counting down to kick-off against Miami. Thanks to OBNUG for the idea.
Today we profile the receiver with the highest expectations from Maryland fans entering this season.
Kevin Dorsey, Junior (RS), Wide Receiver
Stats:
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 205
Ratings: Four stars, #154 nationally, #3 in Maryland, #19 wide receiver by Rivals; four stars, #25 wide receiver by Scout; three stars, #57 wide receiver by ESPN; #99 wide receiver in 2012 draft class by NFL Draft Scout
40-yard dash time: 4.4
High School Stats (Senior Year): 50 catches for 902 yards and 11 touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, one interception return for a touchdown, one kickoff return for a touchdown
High School Stats (Junior Year): 30 passes for 1,025 yards and 13 touchdowns, 42 tackles, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions
College Stats (through two seasons): 18 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns, 13 tackles
High School: Forestville Military Academy (Forestville, Md.)
How’d He Get To College Park?
Coming out of Forestville, Kevin Dorsey was one of the top wide receivers in the nation. Depending on how wide you cast your net, he was one of the top prospects in the nation, and was rated as such by most every recruiting expert out there. After a stellar junior year, he followed up with a great senior year. He started at both wide receiver and free safety in high school, starring at both positions.
During the final game of his sophomore year of high school, Dorsey (at the time named Kevin Chapman) moved from quarterback to wide receiver at halftime, catching three passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a lost. After the game, he stood in front of his team (and after this speech, it would undoubtedly be his team), and told them “If you don’t like this feeling, if you want to win the state championship next year, you’ll be in the weight room on Monday.”
Despite his accolades and his status as a high-profile recruit, Dorsey was only offered by Connecticut and Marshall (and possibly Illinois, but we’ve been unable to confirm that). This is probably because he committed to Maryland extremely early in the process – he was class of 2008 but pledged to the Terps in July of 2006.
Dorsey graduated a semester early from high school, enrolling at Maryland in the spring of 2008. He suffered from an injury to his left foot, however, and had surgery that caused him to redshirt that first year. As a freshman in 2009, he played in all twelve games and caught three passes for 17 yards, as well as leading the Terps in special teams tackles with eight.
Last season, as a sophomore, Dorsey played in all thirteen games, starting against East Carolina in the Military Bowl. His 15 receptions were good for fourth on the team, and he posted 187 yards and 2 touchdowns as well as five tackles on special teams. He came into his own towards the end of the season, catching multiple passes in six of the last eight games and catching a 45-yard touchdown pass in the Military Bowl.
More after the jump.
Nickname:
Kevin “Boobie” Dorsey. It’s his real nickname. We don’t ask questions.
Career Highlight:
His performance against East Carolina in the Military Bowl.
Career Lowlight:
The fact that it’s taken so long for him to become a full-time starter.
Arbitrary Top Five List:
Current Terps who went to a Military Academy:
1. Kevin Dorsey
2. David Mackall
3. Quintin McRee
4. Ronnie Tyler
5. Nate Clarke
Dream Season:
Dorsey takes over admirably for Torrey Smith, catching 70 passes for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns.
Nightmare season:
Dorsey can’t put it together, sharing time with Adrian Coxson and failing to break out as Danny O’Brien’s top target.
2011 Prospectus:
There is quite a bit of pressure on Kevin Dorsey for this upcoming season. There is no doubt that Torrey Smith is the biggest departure from last year’s Maryland team (although the linebacking corps took quite a hit as well), and Dorsey is the player expected to fill that void. He still has a lot of hype carried over from high school, and is undoubtedly talented and an incredibly bright football player.
Helping to raise that hype was how Dorsey ended the season. He was solid for most of the end of the year, but that 45-yard touchdown grab against East Carolina gave Maryland fans a glimpse of what they can hope for this season from the junior. The play looked like vintage DOB-to-Smith, and if they can replicate some of that magic this year, it’ll go a long way towards making the transition to a new offense seamless.
Maryland’s offense is in a similar place to last year – the passing offense is kind of a big question mark while the running game seems pretty solid, but for different reasons. Last year, the receiving corps was experienced but the quarterback situation was uncertain. This year, Maryland has arguably the best quarterback in the conference but no one is quite sure who he’s going to throw to. Last year, the passing offense thrived while the running game struggled to keep up. We’ll just have to wait and see what will happen this year, and the performance of Kevin Dorsey will dictate much of Maryland’s success through the air.
Up Next:
The subject of our next profile is one of only two coaches retained by the new staff.
Follow this writer on Twitter @Pete_Volk.