Profiles In Terpage – A Countdown To The Football Season: Marcus Leak
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 an incoming freshman wide receiver.
Marcus Leak, Freshman, Wide Receiver
Stats:
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190
Ratings: Three stars, #24 in North Carolina, #85 wide receiver by Rivals; three stars, #102 wide receiver by Scout; three stars, #42 wide receiver by ESPN
40-yard dash time: 4.4
High School Stats (Senior Year): 305 rushing yards and two touchdowns, 200 yards receiving and one touchdown, 30 tackles
High School Stats (Junior Year): 630 yards receiving, eight total touchdowns
High School: Parkwood High School (Charlotte, N.C.)
How’d He Get To College Park?
Marcus Leak and fellow incoming freshman Nigel King were two of the best wide receivers in North Carolina last year. Maryland was Leak’s first offer, and he committed in April of last year, coming to College Park thanks to the recruiting efforts of wide receivers coach Lee Hull. Leak also received interest from Florida, Clemson and UNC, among others.
It doesn’t seem like any other schools offered him a scholarship, and Leak stayed loyal to the school that found him first. During his senior year, he was one of 22 players on Parkwood to suffer serious injuries, as the team struggled to a 1-10 finish. He finished the season with just over 500 yards of total offense with three touchdowns even with a high ankle sprain that caused him to miss four games.
More after the jump.
Nickname:
Marcus “Take A” Leak
Career Highlight:
His first touchdown catch came from his older brother, who was the quarterback at Parkwood. Cute.
Career Lowlight:
The high ankle sprain last year.
Arbitrary Top Five List:
Top wide receiver in 2011 class from North Carolina, according to Rivals:
1. T.J. Thorpe
2. Nigel King
3. Maurice Harris
4. K.J. Brent
5. Marcus Leak
Dream Season:
Leak breaks through in a depleted wide receiving corps for Maryland, catching at least twenty passes and contending for one of the three starting spots.
Nightmare season:
Leak redshirts.
2011 Prospectus:
All three of Maryland’s incoming wide receivers offer something very different. We’ll get to Nigel King and Tyrek Cheeseboro in the coming days, so let’s focus on Marcus Leak for now. Leak is an incredibly smart football player who has good speed and hands. He was praised for his quick hips and route running ability, something that could lead him to see early playing time in College Park.
Leak is currently slotted at WR-Z, which looks like the second option at receiver. He’s fourth at that position, behind Cheeseboro, Tony Logan, and starter Quintin McRee. McRee is the most experienced of all Maryland’s current receivers, but has less hype than any of the other starters. Logan has found all of his collegiate success as a returner, and hasn’t been able to translate that into the passing game. Cheeseboro is another incoming freshman, although he did have the advantage of enrolling early and playing during spring ball.
Leak has a chance to play this season, but if I was a betting man I wouldn’t put too much money on it. He certainly has the skill to do it, but I imagine that Maryland would like to preserve a year of his eligibility and play the cards they already have. Unless he completely blows away the coaches during camp, expect him to play solely on the practice squad until next season.
Up Next:
Our next player is friends with John Wall and Brandon Banks.