Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

An elbow injury ended his sophomore season after four games.

Maryland football starts its season in 91 days. Until then, we’re profiling the entire roster.

David Shaw, defensive tackle

Height: 6’4
Weight: 307 pounds
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
High school: Spring Grove HS (Pa.)

How Shaw got to College Park

Shaw was lightly recruited outside of Pennsylvania, with Maryland the only FBS school to extend him an offer. He received looks from Penn State, Pitt, Temple and UConn, but committed to the Terps in June 2013 before anyone else could get close to him.

He arrived at Maryland to a stacked offensive line his freshman season in 2014. Shaw was behind eventual NFL Draft pick Darius Kilgo that season, but still managed to appear in seven games with one start. A patella injury kept him out of much of spring practice, but Shaw was starting at defensive tackle next to Quinton Jefferson to begin the 2015 season.

Shaw accumulated six tackles, (one for loss) in four games before an elbow injury kept him out for the rest of 2015. Maryland’s website lists him as a redshirt sophomore, so it appears he received a medical redshirt for the season.

One career highlight so far

Making a career-high three tackles against West Virginia in 2015.

2016 prospectus

Following Jermaine Carter, Shaw might be one of the most important players on Maryland’s defense. With Quinton Jefferson and Yannick Ngkaoue out, Shaw could really help a unit that is suddenly pretty inexperienced and struggled in most facets of the game last season. His massive size could help clog up the middle against the run, and that should be all the Terps need from him with Jesse Aniebonam and Roman Braglio on the ends to rush the passer.

What a dream season might look like

Shaw becomes an immovable object in the middle of the field for the Terps, gobbling up running backs who go his way and forcing those who don’t right into the arms of Maryland’s outside linebackers and ends. He teams up with Adam McLean to create a young core that will be ready to team up with five-star defensive end commit Joshua Kaindoh to make Maryland’s defensive line feared again.

Next in the series …

Our next subject ripped off the only touchdown run of his career last season against Rutgers.

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