It’s homecoming weekend at Maryland when No. 2 Indiana takes on the Terrapins at SECU Stadium on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
That typically doesn’t mean much for the visiting team, but this weekend’s game will certainly have special significance for running back Roman Hemby.
The senior running back is a Maryland native who spent the first four seasons of his college career playing for coach Mike Locksley and the Terps.
He’s not the only Hoosier who started his career in College Park. Defensive end Kellan Wyatt played his first three seasons at for Maryland. Unfortunately for Wyatt, he won’t play this weekend at College Park after suffering a knee injury two weeks ago vs. Michigan State. Another Maryland native, Wyatt started on the edge for IU and has 28 tackles with 2.5 sacks this season.
When he was available through the first seven games, Wyatt consistently earned the praise of head coach Curt Cignetti. Same goes Hemby, who has 513 rushing yards on 107 carries with four scores, and 131 receiving yards on 10 catches.
“Roman Hemby is a warrior,” Cignetti said a couple weeks ago. “That guy gives 100 percent every day, every play, physical runner, fast, smart, great hands, great out of the back field. And you know, he’s a guy that wants the ball, that you can give the ball to and that he’s been durable.”
Hemby was emotional the weekend of Indiana’s season opening win over Old Dominion, his first with the Hoosiers.
“Just being part of this team, this culture, this environment, it was a breath of fresh air for me,” Hemby said in late August following the ODU win. “I was shedding tears earlier this morning just taking it all in because not everybody gets second chances I feel like a got one and I’m just so grateful.”
Hemby had his most productive game of the season a year ago in the IU vs. Maryland matchup, posting 165 total yards and two scores for the Terps.
Why did he leave his home state school to come to Indiana?
According to Locksley, Hemby and Wyatt would both be suiting up for the Terps this weekend if he had chosen to pay them.
Instead Locksley and Maryland chose to emphasize the high school path, a decision that has led to a 1-3 start in Big Ten play.
“They’ve (Indiana) got two guys that started for me a year ago that I would have had to make to make a decision on whether I overpay for them because, you know, the market demanded it,” Locksley said this week in a radio interview on The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan.
“We had to make tough decisions on guys like Roman Hemby and Kellan Wyatt. I mean, if I had the money to be able to pay them at that time, there’s no doubt those guys would have wanted to remain here as Terps. But as this landscape has changed, these are the things and decisions that are being made. And, you know, I decided to go through the draft with high school players that have been really impactful for us, but that gives us a really strong foundation now.”
It’s an interesting approach by Locksley, and if he continues down this path it could eventually cost him his job.
Freshman out of high school are rarely prepared to play up to their potential in years one and two, irrespective of their talent. And those very high school players Locksley chose to pay now will be the next returning starters he has to pay more down the road. Now with a reputation for not be willing to pay veterans who have proven themselves as some of the better players in the Big Ten, Locksley seems to be trapped in a vicious cycle.
We’ll see how it goes, beginning with Hemby’s homecoming on Saturday.
“If you don’t stay gap controlled, or gap sound with a Roman Hemby or even the kid (Kaelon Black) that transferred from JMU that he shares time with, Roman has home run ability, and we know that, so it’s just a matter of making sure we’re really gap sound, string the ball out play, play good help defense and and tackle well,” Locksley said.
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