Just a week ago, news broke that Maryland star wide receiver Stefon Diggs would reportedly miss the remainder of the season with a lacerated kidney. Prior to the injury, Diggs caught media headlines with his decision to not shake the hands of the Penn State captains, and many around college football found the injury to be some form of karma. Still, there had to be a replacement for the do-it–all wide out and first in line was true freshman Juwann Winfree. Winfree, the No. 36 ranked wide receiver in the 2014 recruiting class, has hauled in 10 catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns with four of those receptions coming this past weekend for a total of 80 yards and a score.
The New Jersey native was unable to stay out of the headlines and was suspended for the team’s final two games after “violating the student-athlete code of conduct.” There has been no other revelation regarding the incident, but head coach Randy Edsall announced that Winfree will miss the Terrapins final two contests against Michigan and Rutgers. No word has been finalized as to Winfree’s status for Maryland’s bowl game, but Terps fans shouldn’t expect to see the true freshman suited up.
Nonetheless, Winfree has a high ceiling and could be a major weapon for the Terrapins during their 2015 campaign. If he is able to grasp the responsibility for his actions, Edsall should find a spot for the talented wide out on the field. Maryland has two very winnable games heading down the stretch and depth has become scarcely thin within the receiving corps. The team has already lost Nigel King, Lavern Jacobs, and Taivon Jacobs to go along with the aforementioned Diggs. Now, Edsall will rely even more upon the likes of Deon Long and Jaquille Vall, both of whom struggled against Michigan State.
*Section Photo credit to Michael Hickey, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Tommy Gilligan, USA Today Sports.
