Key freshmen should see more time this season

Isaiah Ross spread a toothy grin across his chubby cheeks. His arms, visible under his T-shirt, lacked the size or definition of former Terrapin linebacker E.J. Henderson, Ross’s favorite player, or current teammates Jared Harrell or Derek Drummond, who sit above Ross on the Terps’ depth chart at defensive end.

A true freshman, Ross didn’t even expect to play this year. Ross seemed to be a lock for a redshirt season entering training camp, as the 18 year old was not even listed on the depth chart in August.

Then he started running around and making plays in practice. And the decision was made — Ross had to play, even with clear rough edges in his game.

“He’s a bit more athletic than some of our ends,” coach Ralph Friedgen said. “We probably should have played him more the last few weeks because he’s good in the space game. A game where they run right at him won’t be his game because he’s not strong enough yet.”

Ross made his debut in the Terps’ Sept. 12 win against James Madison. He is one of six true freshmen to play this season, and at least two more are expected to join the group sooner rather than later. In the past three seasons, Friedgen has only used a total of nine true freshmen, but a particularly strong recruiting class combined with an already young roster has forced Friedgen to use more freshmen than in previous seasons.

A redshirt season allows players to adjust to the speed of the college life and game. Few freshmen come in with the necessary conditioning and understanding of what is generally a significantly more complex playbook.

“As far as weight room and running, I’m definitely not there,” Ross said. “Athletically, on the field, I can get the job done. But I want to get stronger, faster — get in better shape. This offseason will probably be really good for me and help my game a whole lot.”

Last year, Friedgen took two very different approaches with two true freshmen who are now starters. Cornerback Cameron Chism played in nine games, primarily on special teams, as Friedgen was worried Chism would be needed more if an injury occurred.

Meanwhile, linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield moved up the Terps’ depth chart throughout the season without playing in any games, thus keeping his redshirt while being available in the case of an injury.

This year, Friedgen has already used linebacker Avery Murray on special teams and anticipates using safety Eric Franklin and possibly cornerback Dexter McDougle in similar roles. While all three would almost certainly play on defense with an injury at their position, defensive coordinator Don Brown has been non-committal about using any of the three just yet.

“I want to get all the best players on the field I can,” Friedgen said. “Most of the time, I’ll consult a player on that, find out if he’s OK burning his redshirt to play on special teams. If they the kid wanted me to wait, I could hold it.”

Currently, kicker Nick Ferrara, guard Bennett Fulper and defensive tackle Zach Kerr have played all three games for the Terps. While Ferrara already has a game-winning field goal under his belt, Fulper and Kerr have seen their roles expanding.

Friedgen said Ross, Franklin, Murray and defensive tackle Justin Anderson would also see increases in playing time. But with a 1-2 record, the Terps have very little room for the kind of mistakes that buried them last week against Middle Tennessee, even from freshmen.

“It’s time to just play like a mature team and win football games,” senior quarterback Chris Turner said. “The whole ‘young’ thing is not an excuse anymore. … There’s too much at stake for guys to say that ‘I didn’t know this,’ or ‘I didn’t know that.’”

ajoseph@umdbk.com