Roman Hemby has attended more than 1,000 soccer practices during his career. As the days pass, he becomes more and more ordinary. His practice Saturday, a collaboration between the University of Maryland and Morgan State University in Baltimore, felt a little different.
Hemby attended high school at John Carroll School in Bel Air, about 30 minutes from Morgan State University. He stayed home and chose Maryland over schools like Michigan State, Virginia, and West Virginia. So returning to the Baltimore area was special for Hemby.
“This is a community where I feel at home,” Hemby said.
The redshirt junior running back is expected to play a key role this season after running mate Antwain Littleton transferred to Temple. Hemby rushed for 680 yards at 4.8 yards per carry. This is a step back from the 2022 season (989 yards on 5.3 yards per carry), but the running back looked strong Saturday. He caught multiple passes out of the backfield and It was wide open (including a touchdown on an angled route).
Hemby said he models his game after New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, citing the veteran's pass protection and ability to catch the ball. The highlight of his 2023 season was a 61-yard reception against Auburn in the Music City Bowl game. His focus this season is to slip more tackles. Last year he was often taken down by second- and third-level defenders, so he's focused on improving that.
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“I've kind of taken on more of a tone-setter role,” Hemby said.
Hemby is another player from Maryland. He had other offers, but he wanted to stay home. Locksley has always focused on keeping top local talent in the country. His offense could feature seven starters from Maryland, including stars like Hemby and receiver Kayden Prather.
But practice was about more than soccer. Hemby's joy was visibly visible as several family members came to watch. The Terps' roster includes 46 of his players from Maryland and seven of his from Baltimore. Locksley mentioned the importance of branding the Terps throughout the state.
Locksley's relationship with Morgan State coach Damon Wilson spans 20 years. Some of the other coaches may not have agreed to joint practices.
“This means we're paying it forward,” Locksley said. “I would be remiss if I didn't give you the same opportunity that I was given.
