Keihn ‘ready to go’ for Terps defense
Pass rusher who transferred from Virginia Tech reunites with his high school rivals
COLLEGE PARK — When recruiting director Marcus Berry sees Melvin Keihn and Josh Woods around Maryland’s facilities, he’s quick to remind them of their pasts.
“Gilman-McDonogh!” Berry says to the pair.
And Keihn, the former Greyhound, always has the same response, said Woods, the former Eagle.
“Nah, from rivalries to teammates. We’re family now,” Keihn says.
Keihn and Woods were on opposite sides of the historic Gilman-McDonogh rivalry during their prep careers and then the “best friends,” as Woods described them, went separate ways, leaving high school as two of the top 25 players in the state in the Class of 2014. Keihn chose Virginia Tech and Woods picked Maryland.
Now, after Keihn’s transfer from Blacksburg to College Park, the two will suit up on the same defense for coach DJ Durkin this fall. And Keihn is expected to have a major impact as a pass rusher for the Terps.
“Being eligible this year with a new coaching staff, I’m ready to go,” Keihn said Friday. “They have a mindset like, ‘We’re going to be an intensity defense,’ and that’s what I like. Coaches always talk about, ‘Just be ready to go, be the next guy, be ready to step up,’ and every day that’s just what I’m trying to do.”
Keihn is competing with junior Jesse Aniebonam for snaps at the “buck” position, a hybrid between defensive end and outside linebacker whose job is pressuring the quarterback. And Keihn appears to have the physical tools to do it.
In his summer working with Maryland’s strength and conditioning staff, Keihn said he has lowered his body fat from 9 percent to 6 percent while bumping his listed weight from 211 in the spring to 225 this fall. And above all, Keihn has kept his speed and agility, which have stood out to his coaches and teammates through the first week of practice.
“Melvin, he’s got such a high motor,” Durkin said. “He’s an effort guy. He’s got really good ability. He can run and do a bunch of different things. The No. 1 attribute is his motor. I think it’s contagious to his teammates. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team, and it definitely shows up every day.”
Keihn, Aniebonam and the rest of the defensive line have the task of replacing defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, who were both selected in the NFL draft in the spring. During Ngakoue’s record-setting junior season in which he had 131⁄2 sacks, Keihn Details: said he and Aniebonam would spend time after practice with the veteran to work on technique and the finer points of rushing the passer.
With Ngakoue making an impression in Jacksonville Jaguars training camp, Keihn and Aniebonam work on improving together. Now they’re under the tutelage of associate head coach and defensive line coach Mike London, who helped produce top NFL draft pick Chris Long out of Virginia.
“[I pride] myself on being one of the top guys rushing on this team,” Keihn said. “It’s something I really have to pride myself to because at the end of the day, Yannick’s a great player, but … I’ve got goals to break his sack record, too.”
Keihn has three years of eligibility left at Maryland as a redshirt sophomore after playing in all 13 games as a true freshman at Virginia Tech in 2014, mostly on special teams. He hasn’t had the chance to take on a full-time role yet in his college career, but his energy appears to be suited for Durkin’s attacking defensive scheme.
“The kid’s got a motor,” said defensive end Roman Braglio, who also played against Keihn in the Gilman-McDonogh rivalry. “The kid never stops. Amazing stamina. … He’s pushing everything. He’s a great addition to the D-line, to the team.”
Woods said he talked to Keihn about coming to Maryland after he decided to transfer from Virginia Tech. While the landscape that Keihn originally committed to more than a year ago has undergone a complete upheaval, he’s looking forward to the chance to play and is approaching the season with the mindset of “just getting better.”
So, when the Terps take the field this fall, the best friends from rival high schools will line up on defense for the university in their home state. While the allegiances of the Gilman-McDonogh rivalry might still run deep, they are, as Keihn says, family.
“If that doesn’t say anything about Melvin, I don’t know what does,” Woods said.