Profiles In Terpage – A Countdown To The Football Season: Lorne Goree
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 one of the younger players in the linebacking rotation.
Lorne Goree, Freshman (RS), Outside Linebacker
Stats:
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 225
Ratings: Three stars, #47 outside linebacker by Rivals in 2009, #19 prep recruit in the nation in 2010; three stars, #35 weakside linebacker by Scout; #92 outside linebacker by ESPN
40-yard dash time: 4.65
High School Stats (senior year): 90 tackles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown), six catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns
High School Stats (junior year): 157 tackles (103 solo), nine sacks, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception
High School: C.H. Flowers High School (Springdale, Md.)
Prep School: Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, Va.)
How’d He Get To College Park?
Goree was a standout at Flowers, posting ridiculous stats in his junior year and being named a consensus all-state player in his senior year. Goree was also first team all-county and an honorable all-state selection as a junior. The linebacker played in the inaugural Crab Bowl, and was one of the brighter prospects in the state, but poor grades/SAT scores required him to spend a year at Fork Union before he was able to enroll. As a result, Goree actually a year more under his belt than most redshirt freshmen, and gained about 20 pounds of muscle in his time there.
Goree chose Maryland over West Virginia, Illinois, Michigan State and others, thanks to the school’s proximity to home. He calls himself a “Maryland boy”, and told Matt Bracken back when he committed that it meant a lot to him to have the opportunity to “represent your city and state“.
More after the jump.
Nickname:
Lorne “L.A.” Goree. It’s what he goes by. I can’t possibly imagine why he doesn’t like Lorne. Apparently, people also call him “L-Boogie”. We’re sticking with L.A.
Career Highlight:
Entering this year with a great chance for a lot of playing time.
Career Lowlight:
Having to go to Fork Union for a year.
Arbitrary Top Five List:
Recent Maryland players to come from Fork Union:
1. Tyrek Cheeseboro
2. Nate Clarke
3. David Mackall
4. Zachariah Kerr
5. Cody Blue
Dream season:
Goree impresses with his nose for the ball, splitting the starting job at Will with Darin Drakeford and putting up at least 20 tackles.
Nightmare season:
Goree’s lack of size and speed catch up to him as he struggles to adjust to his first year in real college action.
2011 prospectus:
L.A. Goree enters the 2011 season second on the depth chart at Will behind junior Darin Drakeford. While Drakeford had a great year last season (and was one of the most underrated players on Maryland’s roster), this is his first year as a starter so really anything can happen. While Goree doesn’t have as fast of a 40 time as you might want for a weak-side linebacker, he’s one of those guys that seems to run faster with pads on. He has a nose for the ball, plays an extremely physical game, and is relentless in pursuit. Not including the STAR position (because those guys will be used in a lot of different packages), Goree is going to be the first linebacker off the bench this year for Maryland, so he is going to have a lot of chances to prove himself, like former Fork Union teammate David Mackall did last year. If he shows in games what he’s shown coaches in practice, he could end up sharing the playing time at Will with Drakeford by the end of the year.
Up Next:
Our next player has a cousin who was one of the most dominant defensive ends in the NFL in the late 1990s.