Profiles In Terpage – A Countdown To The Football Season: Davin Meggett
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 Maryland’s starting running back.
Davin Meggett, Senior, Halfback
Stats:
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 215
Ratings: Three stars, #16 in Maryland by Rivals; two stars, #151 RB by Scout; unranked by ESPN; #9 running back in 2012 draft class by NFL Draft Scout
40-yard dash time: 4.49
High School Stats (Senior Year): 169 rushes for 1,784 yards and 27 touchdowns, nine receptions for 410 yards and six touchdowns
High School Stats (Junior Year): 156 rushes for 1,150 yards and 10 touchdowns
College Stats (through three seasons): 314 rushes for 1,515 yards and 14 touchdowns, 29 receptions for 313 yards and one touchdown
High School: Surrattsville High School (Surrattsville, Md.)
How’d He Get To College Park?
The son of two-time Pro Bowler Dave Meggett, Davin started playing football at nine before becoming a three-year starter at Surrattsville. After earning all-county, all-league, all-state, and all-Met honors after his senior season, he committed to Maryland (the only FBS school to offer him a scholly). He was also recruited by Notre Dame and Rutgers and offered by FBS schools like James Madison.
Since then, Meggett has played in every single Maryland game. No redshirt, no injuries, no rest. He started in two games his freshman year and four during his sophomore campaign, so this will be his first chance as a real every-down back. He set career highs in most every category last season despite not starting a game, rushing 126 times for 720 yards (tops on the team) for four touchdowns.
More after the jump.
Nickname:
Continuing the tradition of running backs going by first initial-first syllable of last name, he actually told Matt Bracken his nickname is “D-Megg”.
Career Highlight:
His 76-yard touchdown run against FIU.
Career Lowlight:
The struggles of the running game in general last year.
Arbitrary Top Five List:
Most yards in a season, Maryland backs, since 2000:
1. Bruce Perry, 2001 – 1,242
2. Chris Downs, 2002 – 1,154
3. Da’Rel Scott, 2008 – 1,133
4. Josh Allen, 2003 – 922
5. LaMont Jordan, 2000 – 920
Dream Season:
Meggett explodes for his breakout year, earning first-team All-ACC honors and running for over 1,000 yards.
Nightmare season:
Meggett struggles with consistency again, proving unable to hold on to the starting job.
2011 Prospectus:
Davin Meggett is a bruiser of a running back. A student of the game (he listed his hobbies as “Playbooks, making new plays, coming up with blocking schemes and checks”), he’s pretty close to the complete package of what you want in a running back.
Meggett has the starting running back job all to himself. D.J. Adams will, at some point, take away goal-line and short-yardage carries, but as of now he’s suspended and Meggett is the dude for the Terps. He will be expected to carry a large part of Maryland’s offense, and hopefully can be used in a similar way Donald Brown III, Jordan Todman, and other UConn stars were used by Randy Edsall’s UConn teams.
Behind Meggett, Maryland has options. Adams, of course, is an excellent short yardage back, and both Jeremiah Wilson and Justus Pickett are extremely talented players who were more than very productive in high school. As it stands now, however, Meggett is the only guy Maryland can really rely on to be an every-down back.
The senior has played in every game of his Maryland career. It’s time for his starting career to begin.
Up Next:
Our next profile will be on a coach who came to Maryland from Clemson.
Follow this writer on Twitter @Pete_Volk.