Philistin Appears Likely To Step to 'Mike' for Terps

For the better part of this millennium, the strong-side middle linebacker position at Maryland has been a model of stability. Known as the "mike" linebacker, the position holds a special place in the Terrapins' 3-4 defense.

It's where E.J. Henderson did his best work on his way to winning the Butkus Award and Bednarik Trophy. D'Qwell Jackson followed Henderson, living up to the legacy by becoming the team's foremost playmaker. Wesley Jefferson stepped in last season, solidifying himself as a defensive leader. He wasn't as flashy as Henderson or Jackson, though his leadership ensured that the chain would remain unbroken.

But when the Terrapins open their season in nine days, there's a strong possibility that the successor to that legacy could be a player who during spring camp took more snaps at running back than at "mike."

Junior Dave Philistin, whom Coach Ralph Friedgen briefly indulged with a short stint as the team's goal-line fullback, looks primed to take over the Terps' legacy position even though he has played there for little more than two weeks.

"Philistin is probably playing better at 'mike' than I thought he would play, to be honest with you," Friedgen said. "To me, with Dave, all he has to do is stay consistent and keep improving. Then I think that would really help us."

Since Jackson's departure in 2005, the Terrapins have struggled to find a longer-term replacement. Friedgen thought he had found an answer in Jefferson, who started all of Maryland's 13 games last season. Jefferson proved capable, leading the team in tackles most of the season until he was passed by Erin Henderson.

Jefferson finished second with 110 tackles, and the coaching staff figured he would help anchor the position again as a senior this season. Instead, Jefferson left school with a year of eligibility remaining to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a Maryland state trooper.

The job then fell to junior Chase Bullock, who played sparingly last season. Much like Jefferson, Bullock waited in the background for his chance to start and thought the opportunity had finally come this season. Even though coaches moved highly regarded redshirt freshman Alex Wujciak to "mike" to give Bullock some competition, the position looked solidified when just before training camp Wujciak was moved to the Terrapins' "leo" position, a hybrid of defensive end and outside linebacker.

Coaches said they could move Wujciak back to the middle if needed, but Bullock played well enough to possibly hold the spot.

"It's a great position," Bullock said at the start of camp. "There have been a lot of great guys who have played there before me. I feel like I'm ready."

To keep a measure of competition, the coaching staff moved Philistin from weak-side middle linebacker -- where he was buried behind Erin Henderson -- to push Bullock at "mike." Bullock suggested the move in the spring.

"You make a lot of checks, a lot of calls, like the quarterback of the defense," said Philistin, a 6-foot-2, 231-pound junior.