photo courtesy of 247sports.com
Gilman’s Melvin Keihn has had the privilege of playing with several players that are now playing Division I football. He was able to see them all go through the recruiting process and how they handled it.
Now, it is his turn.
Keihn is a highly recruited outside linebacker who has over a dozen scholarship offers. His offer list includes schools like Miami (Fla), Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and more. The first team to offer him…..the hometown Terps.
“It meant a lot to me that Maryland was the first school to offer,” Keihn said. “They saw something they liked and it made me feel special and it makes you want to work harder.
The Maryland offer came during Keihn’s sophomore season. It was when he first realized he had the potential to be a Division I football player. After a solid freshman season, Keihn spend the summer working out and working on his technique. In the fall of his sophomore year, during preseason scrimmages, he began to notice that he had improved greatly since his freshman year. Keihn had a very good season opener, but it was after the Greyhound’s second game of the season, against national powerhouse Good Counsel that Keihn found himself on the national recruiting radar.
“I played really well in that game and the next day at practice a Maryland coach called my coach and he told me they offered,” Keihn said. “It was then, after getting my first offer that I started believing that I could be a Division I football player. I figured if Maryland saw something they liked in me, that there was a good chance that other schools saw something too, so I just worked hard every single day.”
Recently, Keihn visited College Park for their Junior Day and liked what he saw. He was able to talk to some of the coaches and some of the players and get a better feel of what College Park has to offer.
“They are the home team,” Keihn said. “You gotta give the home school some love. I was able to talk to some players, but not most of them because they were probably all getting ready for the Maryland/Duke game. I saw Stefon Diggs and Kenny Goins (Keihn’s former teammate at Gilman).”
With so many offers at hand, and more surely to come, Keihn does not want to rush his decision but hopes to have a top five by the summer.
Maryland’s recent run in recruiting has gotten Keihn interested even more as the Terps have been able to obtain commitments from some of the top players in the state. He also loves the move to the Big Ten.
“I am not the type of person that is going to commit to a school because of the conference that they play in but I really like the move,” he said. “I think it will really help Maryland out recruiting and it is going to show them that they have to compete if they want to survive in the Big Ten.”
Keihn has a good relationship with the Maryland coaching staff, especially Coach Powell.
“He is a very nice guy, with a lot of energy and he is very energetic,” Keihn said. “That is something you really want to see in coaches.”
A defensive end in high school, most schools, including Maryland, hope to move to him to linebacker because of his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame.
“Coaches think I am athletic and fast,” Keihn said. “I can move around well and drop back at pass coverage. Some coaches want to keep me at defensive end so I can help with the run and at the same time, some want to bring me outside so I can help out with pass coverage.”
Keihn does not have a preference and thinks that he can cause damage either way.
The junior plans to attend some camps and combines this summer but does not have any set in stone. He also plans on working on his pass rushing and pass coverage.
“I need to work on my footwork,” he said. “But mostly I want to work on my pass rush because that is what I am really noted for and I also want to stop the run. I want to work on breaking double-teams and helping the run, but I really need to work on everything.
Despite being swamped with recruiting and training, Keihn recently had an opportunity to reflect on the fact that his dream will soon become a reality.
“I was just thinking about that a few days ago,” Keihn said. “I was talking to my dad and thinking about how blessed I am. I never thought I would come out and show my talents and get noticed. Getting all these offers, I keep thinking about how blessed i am. It makes want to stay humble and keep working hard. I just thank God for the blessing.”
