Maryland lost a significant amount of talent on the defensive line when Quinton Jefferson and Yannick Ngakoue departed for the NFL this past spring.
However, the Terrapins still have quite a bit of depth in the trenches. In order for sophomore Brett Kulka to make an impact, he’ll have to stand out in training camp and beyond.
Kulka came to Maryland when Randy Edsall was still calling the shots in College Park. According to 247Sports, Kulka was a two-star recruit out of General McLane High School (Pa.) where he was an all-region player on both the offensive and defensive line.
As a senior, he registered 52 tackles (34 solo), 10 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. Kulka also earned all-state honors from the Pennsylvania Sports Writers and the Pennsylvania Football News.
Kulka hasn’t seen much game action since his arrival in College Park.
He redshirted the 2014 season and played sparingly in 2015. Kulka registered four tackles (two solo) during the 2015 campaign.
His best game was against West Virginia where he accumulated two tackles and a quarterback hurry.
Kulka isn’t the biggest defensive tackle in the world at 6’4/254 lbs.
The Edinboro (Pa.) native has an uphill climb ahead of him in terms of earning valuable playing time this season. Kulka doesn’t have the physical tools that some of his counterparts possess.
It’s probably a good bet that David Shaw and Azubuike Ukandu will be the starting tackles as long as Shaw is healthy. Virginia Tech transfer Melvin Keihn and former four-star recruit Adam McLean should also see plenty of time.
Malik Jones, Kingsley Opara, and Cavon Walker also will figure into the rotation
If the rotation is based off of a player’s pedigree, Kulka would fall near the bottom. However, coach D.J. Durkin clearly isn’t playing any favorites after his comments at Tuesday’s Media Day press conference.
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It’s going to take a really strong training camp from Kulka to stand out. However, if he can prove his worth to the coaching staff, he could see the field more in 2016.