ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

With former players like E.J. Henderson and D'Qwell Jackson, Maryland has quietly developed some of the ACC's elite middle linebackers during coach Ralph Friedgen's tenure, and Alex Wujciak could be the next in line now that he's finally fully recovered from a torn left ACL that sidelined him the entire 2007 season.

Wujciak, a junior, started all 13 games at middle linebacker last year and then missed the spring because he had his knee scoped to clean out some lingering scar tissue. With the loss of four linebackers and a new defensive coordinator, the Terps will look to Wujciak for more than just tackles this fall.

"I'm feeling really good," said Wujciak, who finished second in the ACC with 133 tackles last year. "It's not really a problem right now. It should be 100 percent by summer camp."

The loss of Dave Philistin, Moise Fokou, Chase Bullock and Rick Costa means the Terps have to replace experience that totaled 144 games, including 54 starts. With Wujciak and Ben Pooler out this spring, Adrian Moten was the only returning linebacker who had played in a game at that position. The two-deep featured three freshmen, junior Drew Gloster, who moved from tight end, and Hakeem Sule, who had been limited to special teams. Moten has played in 23 career games, but didn't get his first start until the Humanitarian Bowl. With the abundance of inexperience at linebacker, much will fall on Wujciak's shoulders.

"I think we need to find one or two who can help us," Wujciak said. "It's funny, because I was a young guy for a while, and now me and Moten have to take on a little more responsibility."

Wujciak brings a blue-collar work ethic from his home state of New Jersey, and said his goal this year is to make more momentum-swinging plays for his team. He's been a tackling machine -- he's the fifth-leading returning tackler in the country -- but he wants to get his hand on the ball more and disrupt the passing lanes. He had two pass breakups last year, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. He's very strong and athletic and has the potential to make those game-changing plays.

"Last year being my first year, the first few games were fast," he said. "Hopefully heading into this year the game will start to slow down for me so can make more plays."

Wujciak said the team has welcomed first-year coordinator Don Brown's attacking defense.

"A lot of guys are eager to see how well we perform during games," he said. "Our offense has seen enough of it."

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Here is the final post for Thursday's installment of our Mt. Rushmore project. As Doron, a Maryland student wrote, we're moving on to "Mt. Testudo."

Ian in Baltimore wrote: the mt.rushmore for maryland football would have to include randy white, boomer esiason, shawne merriman, and vernon davis

Harris in NY wrote: MY Maryland Terripans Mt Rushmore Boomer Esiason, EJ Henderson, Randy White, JIm Tatum

Brendan in College Park suggested: Maryland Mt. Rushmore - Randy White, Boomer Esiason, E.J. Henderson and Ralph Friedgen.

Here's the final verdict:

Randy White -- White was one of the quickest defensive linemen the game had seen. In 1974, White received the Outland and Lombardi trophies as the nation's top lineman, was named the ACC Player of the Year, and was a unanimous first team All-American. White was a first-round NFL draft pick for the Dallas Cowboys, and his No. 94 jersey has since been retired. He was inducted into both the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Boomer Esiason -- The left-handed quarterback was a two-time All-American who set 17 school records for passing and total offense, and led the Terps to the ACC title in 1983 and a berth in the Tangerine Bowl. He went on to become a four-time Pro Bowl selection and league MVP in 1988.

E.J. Henderson -- He won the Butkus Award in 2002 as the nation's top linebacker, as well as the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation's most outstanding defensive player. In 2001, he was the ACC's leading tackler with 150 (103 solo), and became just the fourth Terp to be named the ACC's Player of the Year. Henderson was selected early in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.

H.C. "Curley" Byrd -- It's impossible to go to a game at Maryland without being reminded of Harry Clifton "Curley" Byrd, a former coach, player, athletic director, campus president, and namesake of the stadium, which was built under his guidance. Byrd was president of the university from 1935-1954, and compiled a 119-82-15 record as head football coach.