Shane Cockerille came to Maryland as a quarterback, but had a spectacular year in 2016 as a linebacker.
With his suspension still in affect, it puts into perspective just how important he could be to the Terrapins’ success this season.
Coach D.J. Durkin announced last week that Cockerille has returned to practice, but still is suspended dating back to the Quick Lane Bowl. Cockerille was suspended for “disclipinary reasons” prior to the bowl game and ended up not suiting up.
It’s obviously been well-documented that Carter is the most important piece for the Terps defense. He’s garnered accolades from several different publications and was named to the Butkus Award watch list.
However, the second most integral player on defense has to be Cockerille.
Since making the position switch last offseason, Cockerille was nothing short of spectacular. He’s been a tackling machine that has a nose for the football.
In 12 games last season, Cockerille finished second on the team in tackles (108), which was just behind Jermaine Carter’s 110. Cockerille also registered eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks on the season.
He ranked third in the Big Ten with 9.0 tackles-per-game, which was just behind Indiana’s Tegray Scales and Iowa’s Josey Jewell.
Cockerille oftentimes can stand up opposing running backs at the point of attack. There’s very few instances where a tailback, no matter how strong or shifty, gets by Cockerille or muscles his way through the Maryland linebacker.
From a depth perspective, Cockerille is obviously penciled in as the starting “WILL” linebacker spot. However, losing Cockerille for an extended time would be a huge blow to Maryland’s season.
Sophomore Isaiah Davis looks to be penciled in as Cockerille’s primary backup. Davis did do well as a freshman as he totaled 17 tackles in 2016.
In addition, Davis started his first career game in place of Cockerille in the Quick Lane Bowl last December. The former St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes standout led the team with seven solo tackles in the 36-60 postseason Maryland loss.
Davis definitely has a great deal of talent and should see even more playing time in 2017 regardless of Cockerille’s status. However, in a backup role, Davis would provide phenomenal depth to the linebacker position for the Terps.
To be honest, not a whole lot was expected from Cockerille in his first season at a new position. Instead, the former Gilman (Md.) star was one of the Big Ten’s most impressive linebackers.
One of Maryland’s biggest weakness a season ago was their run defense. They yielded the third-most yards-per-carry (4.8) in the Big Ten and 214.8 rushing yards per contest.
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Having a steady linebacker with a nose for the football is going to be huge for Maryland in 2017. If Cockerille suits up for the majority of the games, he’ll be a huge asset in terms of the program’s overall success.