New Hart

Demetrius Hartsfield was always the kid of the group.

He earned a starting spot in the first game of his redshirt freshman season in 2009 alongside veteran linebackers Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten. For his first two seasons, he had the luxury of working through his youthful hiccups knowing all along that two of the Terrapins football team's most dependable players in recent memory were there to cover for him.

Since their graduation last spring, that's all changed for Hartsfield. He's gone from the little brother to the big brother, and with a scuffling Terps defense depleted by injury, Hartsfield's experience has become even more pivotal.

"It's really different," Hartsfield said. "The spotlight wasn't on me a couple years ago, and now it's more like everybody looks at me to make the big plays, to be a leader and just to step up."

On a defense that's been largely disappointing this season, Hartsfield has been one of the lone bright spots. After starting the season at middle linebacker, he's shifted back to weakside linebacker — where he played during his first two seasons — while linebacker Darin Drakeford recovers from a nagging ankle injury.

Regardless of where he's played, Hartsfield's been consistent. His 11.8 tackles per game rank third in the ACC, and he's been one of the Terps' few sure tacklers.

"He's a guy that needs to play well for us because he's been a guy that's been on the field," coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday. "You start to take a look at that defense, there's not a lot of experience out there right now."

While Hartsfield, linebacker Kenny Tate and cornerback Cameron Chism have each started since 2009, the Terps will start three freshmen against No. 13 Georgia Tech on Saturday. Now it's Hartsfield who finds himself serving as a mentor to one of those newcomers, middle linebacker Lorne Goree.

"I've always been there for him, kind of like being a big brother to him. Me and him are pretty close," Hartsfield said. "I know the situation he's in, being that he's a young guy, he's a freshman playing. I was in that situation a couple years ago, so I just try to encourage him as much as I can."

Not far removed from Goree's position himself, Hartsfield is following in Wujciak and Moten's footsteps, guiding him through the ups and downs of his freshman campaign.

"He actually lives in my suite, so we go over stuff a lot," Goree said after the Terps' win over Towson on Saturday. "Even when I'm on the field, I just holler at him, ‘Mete, what do I got?'

"I know from being in the linebacker room with him, he's very smart. He always knows what to do, and he just does it. I look up to him for that. I'm trying to get on that level of intelligence that he's on."

Hartsfield's versatility has helped keep the Terps' defense operating smoothly despite a rash of injuries. He's made seamless transitions in bouncing back and forth from middle, or Mike, to weakside, or Will, linebacker, and although he said yesterday he prefers to be in the middle, he's more than willing to play either.

"I like playing Mike. It's pretty fun, and if I had to choose, I'd probably choose Mike right now," Hartsfield said. "But that's one good thing about myself. I can play Mike, Will, whatever they want me to play."

"Having him in our defense is critical," Tate said. "He's really versatile. He can cover, he's big enough to play Mike, he plays Will. He knows the whole defense."

Hartsfield will become even more essential for the Terps' defense over the next three games. After playing the Yellow Jackets, who boast the nation's second-best scoring offense, the Terps will have to deal with similarly prolific offenses in No. 8 Clemson and No. 23 Florida State.

But even as Hartsfield's been among the team's best and most consistent players on defense, Edsall said he expects more from the veteran down the road.

And with a defense that's surrendered an ACC-worst 412.5 yards per game, the more output from Hartsfield, the better.

"You expect him to make sure that everything stays under control, that he takes care of his responsibilities, and when he sees things, that he can point some things out to those younger guys," Edsall said. "We expect him to even play better than what he's been playing because I think he has that in him to do that.

"I don't think he's maxed out."

cwalsh@umdbk.com