He received valuable experience as a freshman.

Maryland’s football season starts in 60 days. Until then, we’re doing a player-by-player preview of the entire roster.

Mbi Tanyi, outside linebacker

Height: 6’1

Weight: 280 pounds

Year: Sophomore

High school: George Bush High School (Houston, Tex.)

How Tanyi got to College Park

Tanyi came to the Terps as a three-star recruit from Houston. He committed to Maryland in June 2014, choosing the Terps over Houston, Washington and Air Force, among other schools. He is one of two Texans on Maryland’s roster.

With Abner Logan and Jefferson Ashiru each lost for the season to injury, Tanyi got to see some game action as a true freshman. He made four tackles in seven games in 2015.

A career highlight

Making two tackles in the Terps’ loss to Michigan.

2016 prospectus

Tanyi should receive some looks at linebacker this season, but a healthy Abner Logan and eligible transfer Melvin Keihn could make it hard for him to carve out a significant role in the team’s rotation.

What a dream season would look like

Tanyi carves out a role for himself on special teams, and gets some occasional looks on defense early during the cupcake portion of Maryland’s schedule. He shows DJ Durkin and Andy Buh enough that he is in the running for a starting spot in 2017.

The next player in the series

Won the Zellner Award as a high-schooler. (No, you’re not supposed to know what that is.)

Standings

Testudbro-5
PeachesTerp-5
reborn579- 4
apgibson24-3
jayman88-2
terpcommenter-2
ImFromMarylandAndNobodyCanBeatMe- 2
jgoldy17-2
amaymom27- 2
Murderlandboy- 2
Scaletta- 2
ezra2141-1
Mr. Papageorgeo-1
RedTurtle-1
Carolina-1
PMatt-1
EricPat