Maryland freshman linebacker Terrence Lewis will miss spring practices after having surgery to repair a torn ACL. Lewis arrived in College Park in January as a highly touted early enrollee and the lone five-star recruit in the Terrapins’ incoming freshman class. He had surgery in January, so based on a typical recovery timeline for knee surgeries, Lewis could return to full health in time for the 2021 season.
Coach Michael Locksley said Tuesday that Lewis joined Maryland’s program after already suffering the injury. Usually, when prospective players take official visits during high school, they can be evaluated by the university’s medical staff. Because the NCAA didn’t allow those visits during the pandemic, Lewis’s knee injury was not discovered until he arrived on campus this winter. 247Sports first reported Lewis’s recent surgery.
“It just goes to show you the type of kid he is that he played a whole season up and through his state championship run on a torn ACL,” Locksley said. “We got it fixed. It’s unfortunate, but it gives us a chance to get him healthy.”
Lewis, a Miami native, was considered the top inside linebacker in the country and the No. 20 player overall, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He announced his decision to sign with the Terps in January, after Maryland had already assembled a strong 2021 recruiting class. Lewis highlighted the group and became one of the highest-rated signees in program history. Maryland’s 2021 class ranks No. 18 in the country and fourth in the Big Ten, according to 247 Sports. Numerous members of this freshman class could play immediately, and together they mark a key recruiting victory for Locksley in his third year leading the program.
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The Terps’ incoming group of freshmen is packed with defensive talent. Maryland signed Quince Orchard’s Demeioun Robinson, a four-star outside linebacker, and Locksley also landed Branden Jennings, another four-star outside linebacker who had previously committed to Michigan. Jennings and Lewis were among the early enrollees who arrived on campus before spring practices began.
Linebacker is set to be one of the deepest positions on the team, even though Chance Campbell and Ayinde Eley left the program as transfers this offseason. Campbell’s departure was the most significant loss for the Terps. He led the team with 43 total tackles and was a defensive leader.
Locksley also said that redshirt junior linebacker Durell Nchami would probably not practice fully this spring. He tore his ACL in 2019 and then dealt with an injury again during the 2020 season. A handful of other players will wear noncontact jerseys after offseason surgery — sophomore wide receiver Rakim Jarrett (wrist), senior defensive back Jakorian Bennett (wrist), sophomore running back Peny Boone (shoulder) and sophomore linebacker Frankie Burgess (shoulder).
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