DeMatha Grad Tate ‘Star’ of Maryland’s Defense

As Kenny Tate sat in former University of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen’s office just prior to the start of his freshman season with the Terrapins, he grappled with a very tough decision.

The prized wide receiver recruit, who had been ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com following his senior season at , had come to Maryland with hopes of one day developing into a game-changing playmaker at wide receiver.

It was something he had prepared for not only during his time at DeMatha, but also in the months leading up to his freshman season with the Terrapins.

 Yet, in need of help at safety, Friedgen asked Tate, who had also excelled as a safety at DeMatha, if he would be willing to make the switch to the defensive side of the ball in the best interest of the team.

Friedgen did, however, present Tate the option of switching back to receiver after his freshman year.

Tate obliged, ended up deciding to stay at safety even after his freshman season and now, three years later, enters his senior season widely viewed as one of the premier defensive players in the country and a likely high NFL draft pick.

The athletic 6-foot-4, 220 pound Tate, a preseason All-ACC selection, is rated by ESPN’s Mel Kiper as the second-best senior safety prospect in next year’s NFL draft.

Last year, he just broke out, though. But this year, I believe he’s going to exceed even what he did last year,” Maryland junior linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield said of Tate, who chose Maryland over more than 100 other scholarship offers in 2008.

Tate, a 2010 first-team All-ACC selection, led Maryland with four forced fumbles last season, ranked second on the team in tackles (100), tackles for a loss (8.5) and sacks (3.5) and also recorded three interceptions, which was tied for second-best on the Terrapins.

It’s been a steady progression for Tate, who tallied 47 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception as a sophomore after registering just 15 tackles and an interception as a freshman.

At DeMatha, Tate produced 27 total touchdowns during his final three seasons with the Stags, earning consensus all state honors all three years. He also recorded 48 tackles and four interceptions as a safety during his senior season in 2007, but says he didn’t really begin focusing on defense until he got to Maryland.

“Coming out of high school, offense was my main thing and defense was kind of my rest time,” Tate joked. “I was always trying to make plays on offense and then was really just trying to [converse energy] on defense, so I didn’t really get to hone in on my potential as a defensive player until I got here.”

But by moving Tate to the “star” position in new defensive coordinator Todd Bradford’s defense, where he will be playing a hybrid safety/linebacker type role, Terrapins head coach Randy Edsall believes Tate will be capable of shining even more as a senior.