Tayon Fleet-Davis: Michael Locksley ‘Has Brought That Family Energy’ To Maryland Football

By Gus Martin

The Maryland football team endured a turbulent 2018 season, which included investigations into offensive lineman Jordan McNair’s death and the program’s culture under then-head coach DJ Durkin, who was fired in October.

Former Alabama offensive coordinator Michael Locksley returned to the DMV to replace Durkin and help the program and its players return to form in 2019. Junior running back Tayon Fleet-Davis, who experienced last season firsthand, says Locksley and the rest of the team have a positive mindset heading into this season.

“[Last year] was just a humbling experience, just learning not to take anything for granted. It can be taken away even during an injury or anything. We just try to maximize every day,” Fleet-Davis said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 8. “[Locksley] has brought that family energy back in the building. There’s a lot of smiling faces around the building. Everyone walks past each other and we speak, we acknowledge each other. … Everybody just has a bond. I feel like the bond is getting stronger and we’re just getting back to that Maryland culture that was once here before.”

Fleet-Davis says he and the rest of the team have embraced their new coach and are excited about the resume Locksley built working under legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban. During his two seasons there, Locksley helped lead the Crimson Tide two national championship games, winning one. He received the Broyles Award in 2018, given to the nation’s top college football coaching assistant.

Locksley has had two separate stints at Maryland previously. He coached running backs and was the recruiting coordinator for the Terps from 1997-2001 and was the offensive coordinator from 2012-2015. He served as interim head coach for six games in 2015, taking over for Randy Edsall. He went 1-5 with Maryland that season after going 2-26 as the head coach at New Mexico from 2009-2011.

Locksley was hired as an offensive analyst by Saban after the 2015 season and eventually became Alabama’s sole offensive coordinator. He helped Crimson Tide running backs Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris run for more than 600 yards and 5.0 yards per carry apiece in 2018. The trio combined for 24 touchdowns on the ground.

Locksley will look to do the same with Maryland’s talented running back group, which includes Fleet-Davis, Anthony McFarland, Jake Funk, Javon Leake and Lorenzo Harrison.

“Just getting all these guys to showcase their different skills and make sure everyone touches the field is just nice to see,” said Fleet-Davis, who ran for 324 yards and five touchdowns in 2018. “Most people wouldn’t know how to handle [so much talent], but our bond is very strong. We don’t let anything worry us and we actually feed off each other, we encourage each other.”

McFarland was the Terps’ leading rusher last season. The sophomore racked up more than 1,000 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 7.9 yards per carry and will likely get the most touches to start the season.

With so many capable players in the backfield, Fleet-Davis knows he’ll have to be flexible with where coach wants to play him in any particular situation, particularly with the loss of sophomore wideout Jeshaun Jones. He says all the backs bring something unique to the table and that opponents will have trouble stopping them.

“Right now, they’ve got me at running back and I sometimes catch the ball outside of the backfield,” Fleet-Davis said. “I can line up at slot, but right now I’m just doing whatever’s best for the team. If Coach Locksley wants me to line up on the outside, I’ll do it. If he wants me to line-up at tight end, I’ll do it. Whatever is going to help the team get further down the road and get closer to our goals.”

Locksley grew up in Washington, D.C., and has strong recruiting connections in the DMV, something the Terps have lacked in the past. Fleet-Davis attributes Locksley’s recruiting success to his genuine nature and ability to “keep it real” with young players and not just tell them what they want to hear.

Although he’s not from the DMV, quarterback Josh Jackson was one of Locksley’s first major additions after getting the job. The redshirt junior threw 20 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards as a redshirt freshman at Virginia Tech in 2017 and is the Terps’ likely starter to open the season against Howard Aug. 31.

“Josh is a great guy, I’m not even talking about on the field, I’m talking about his personality,” Fleet-Davis said. “He’s a hard worker and he’s a leader, and that’s something I really like seeing in a quarterback,”

The Terps are looking to move on from last season under their new coach. With so many distractions and uncertainties, Maryland went 5-7 under interim head coach Matt Canada.

Fleet-Davis thinks this season will be a complete change and that he and his teammates are ready to prove the doubters wrong.

“I practice with these guys every day. … It’s very exciting just seeing what we can do. We’re very nice on offense,” he said. “We have explosive guys — of course Anthony McFarland, Javon Leake — but we have guys all around. We have receivers who can do it all. The line, they can do it. … All of those guys are good.”

For more from Fleet-Davis, listen to the full interview here:

Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox

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