Byron Cowart

[WFE12 9,191]

Former Auburn defensive lineman, top recruit Byron Cowart finds 'sanctuary' at Maryland

Tom Green 

There were times during his two-plus seasons at Auburn when Byron Cowart was "dreading" practice.

After transferring from the program last season , however, the nation's former No. 1 overall recruit has apparently found himself again at Maryland this spring.

"Now, this is my sanctuary," Cowart said, according to the Baltimore Sun . "I come -- I don't even think about what's going on outside. When I'm on the field, I just can have fun. I got my confidence back. I'm feeling good."

Cowart spent two-plus lackluster seasons at Auburn, where he signed in 2015 as part of the Tigers' eighth-ranked recruiting class. Once regarded as the top player in the country coming out of high school, the defensive lineman struggled to live up to expectations on the Plains.

He totaled just six tackles in 12 games as a freshman and followed it up with six more -- with one for a loss -- in 10 games as a sophomore in 2016, when he was surpassed by then-freshman Marlon Davidson on the depth chart and at times struggled to find his way onto the field before an emergency appendectomy cut his season short. Then last season, Cowart moved inside to defensive tackle and appeared in three games with three tackles before leaving the program in September after expressing displeasure over his playing time to head coach Gus Malzahn.

"He came to me and said he wants to quit and pursue other opportunities so we wish him nothing but the best moving forward," Malzahn said Sept. 19.

Cowart, who told AL.com that same day that a health issue with his mother also played into his decision to leave Auburn , finished up classes last semester at a junior college close to his home in Seffner, Fla., before signing with Maryland on National Signing Day in February.

There, Cowart has been reunited with head coach D.J. Durkin, who recruited Cowart to Florida out of high school when he was still an assistant on Will Muschamp's staff, and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Durkin fawned over Cowart to reporters on Tuesday amid the transfer's first spring with the Terps.

"Byron's doing a really good job both in the run and the pass," Durkin said, according to the Sun. "You can really just see him ... and he's been better and better every practice. Byron's been tremendous. He's really taken his job seriously. He's a mature guy. He works really hard. He's been a great leader for other guys on the team. He's doing great for us."

[DAG 33,980]

Dread practice? Why because we were hard on him and expected excellence? It is hard to argue against the recent success of our d-line. Glad he got some peace of mind with the terps. Maybe CRG style just didn't jive with his personality. Interesting to see how he will do in the big ten.

[alexava 6,973]

I used to dread practice too. That’s when I knew football wasn’t for me. I don’t think it’s for him either. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

He may blossom at Maryland. It is possible that Cowart's personality and Garners just didn't mesh. That is not a knock on either one, some people do better in one environment than another. Each player is different for his sake I hope he does well there.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

I wish him nothing but success. If I'm being honest, I don't expect much out of him, but it would be cool for him to find peace of mind and reach his very high ceiling. I'd love to be wrong about him.

[imaolgatiger 523]

By Ron! Good luck!

[abw0004 10,110]

I know this sounds harsh, but he probably found his sanctuary because the level of competition there is much lower to where he doesn’t need to ty as hard.  I hope he has found what he is looking for though.  I wish him luck.  

[DAG 33,980]

16 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

I know this sounds harsh, but he probably found his sanctuary because the level of competition there is much lower to where he doesn’t need to ty as hard.  I hope he has found what he is looking for though.  I wish him luck.  

Not harsh. Truth.

[AUatHeart 624]

22 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

I know this sounds harsh, but he probably found his sanctuary because the level of competition there is much lower to where he doesn’t need to ty as hard.  I hope he has found what he is looking for though.  I wish him luck.  

I was thinking the same thing.

[AU64 10,122]

18 minutes ago, AUatHeart said:

I was thinking the same thing.

If he really thinks that he will probably be in for a surprise.....kids playing at all Power 5 schools play hard and work hard.

But.....being a long way from Florida, he might find that expectations of fans are lower.   If he doesn't do well enough to start, not many people up there will care one way or the other and he won't be having to answer questions about it.  He's probably found the right place.  

[DAG 33,980]

1 hour ago, AU64 said:

If he really thinks that he will probably be in for a surprise.....kids playing at all Power 5 schools play hard and work hard.

But.....being a long way from Florida, he might find that expectations of fans are lower.   If he doesn't do well enough to start, not many people up there will care one way or the other and he won't be having to answer questions about it.  He's probably found the right place.  

I think he can for sure be Maryland best down lineman , but he will be in for a rude awakening against the elite big ten schools. My issue is how will he handle adversity. The perceived notion among the nfl scouts of Auburn is growing in terms of defensive line play. We are starting to get respect in that department. Unless he becomes all world I have to imagine the front staff at the next level will wonder about his mental aptitude based on his tenure at AU. Look at Gus’s quote, it says he quit . Very telling.

[bigbird 60,512]

I guess Maryland's new locker room additions was the thing that really helped him the most.

Click

[DAG 33,980]

8 minutes ago, bigbird said:

I guess Maryland's new locker room additions was the thing that really helped him the most.

Click

Savage BB

[abw0004 10,110]

2 hours ago, bigbird said:

I guess Maryland's new locker room additions was the thing that really helped him the most.

Click

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

14 hours ago, bigbird said:

I guess Maryland's new locker room additions was the thing that really helped him the most.

Click

[keesler 5,924]

Another year of maturity, hooking back up with DJ Durkin may be what the kid needed to spark his fire.  Best luck to him, and may he take the bulls by the horn and live up to those lofty recruiting rankings.

[abw0004 10,110]

Good read.  Per al.com:

Once rated the nation’s top recruit, the NFL Combine was an assumed future destination for Byron Cowart.

Picking Auburn over Florida was a huge score for Gus Malzahn’s 2015 signing class. It just didn’t work out in the end. Leaving the Tigers in September of the 2017 season after a disappointing tenure, Cowart returned home to Florida before transferring to Maryland.

Now, four years after being a can’t miss-recruit, Cowart was not exactly the star attraction last week at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. While the top prospects did interviews at podiums with crowds of reporters, Cowart was at a table for the lesser-heralded draft hopeful. There, he reflected on the path from a top high school senior to the No. 240 player in the draft, according to CBS Sports.

“Coming out, I was like, ‘I’m going to be the next Jadeveon Clowney,’” Cowart told the group of three reporters Saturday in Indianapolis. “That’s what I thought. He was the end coming out going to the league when I was going into college. The expectations, I didn’t really understand it. I didn’t know it came with it. I didn’t even know what adversity was. It was just, Oh, I’m a good high school player. I think it transfers to college. I didn’t know the preparation. I didn’t know that just because we go through something in the meeting room, that don’t mean that you just turn your brain off.

Cowart remembered seeing start players like Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams constantly watching film. Looking back, he wished he’d asked them to mentor him on the art of the tape study.

Tackles totaled just 15 in 25 games from 2015-17 at Auburn as he moved from end to tackle as a junior. He learned what he thought was going to be easy was, in fact, not.

He credited Jimmy Brumbaugh, Maryland’s defensive line coach last season, for helping slow the game down for him.

“Just the preparation that he went through with me to get to where I am now from a football standpoint,” Cowart said. “I was like, ‘Dang.’ I think I said it at the Senior Bowl, if I would have known what I know now, my career at Auburn would have definitely went better.”

At Maryland, Coward started all 12 games as a senior with 38 tackles (five for loss) and two interceptions.

Still, NFL teams have been asking Cowart a lot about his time at Auburn and why he decided to leave.

“Really, just am I going to take ownership or am I going to point the finger at somebody else -- is it this person or that person?” Cowart said. “In reality, it was just me. I didn’t have the I.Q. coming out. I was bigger and stronger than everybody. … I didn’t understand that at the time. I’m just thinking, you wake up, practice a little bit and it happened in the game. I didn’t know the preparation that it took to be good on Saturday and Sunday.”

Looking back on everything, Cowart still has some good memories from his time as an Auburn Tiger.

“I had fun,” Cowart said. “I was just talking to Dontavius Russell because he’s here. We were just laughing about sprints, gassers that we’d run, the practicing in Jordan Hare. I had good memories at Auburn. It’s a beautiful campus. When I first got there, looking at that like, ‘Wow, I’m here.’ I had some good memories at Auburn.”

[gr82be 14,423]

@abw0004, thanks for posting. It's a breath of fresh air every time I read something like this and a player takes responsibility for what happened without pointing fingers. I always hoped the light would come in for Cowart. Just wish it had been at Auburn. I wish him the best. 

[aujeff11 6,243]

I hope he does well. He seems to be taking his failed aspirations at Auburn with grace and poise. Seems to be more mature and that will help.

[MadtownTiger 363]

I might be more pleased to read about what Jimmy Brumbaugh is up to.  Always liked him.

WDE!

[auburnphan 6,050]

Still, NFL teams have been asking Cowart a lot about his time at Auburn and why he decided to leave.

“Really, just am I going to take ownership or am I going to point the finger at somebody else -- is it this person or that person?” Cowart said. “In reality, it was just me. I didn’t have the I.Q. coming out. I was bigger and stronger than everybody. … I didn’t understand that at the time. I’m just thinking, you wake up, practice a little bit and it happened in the game. I didn’t know the preparation that it took to be good on Saturday and Sunday.” 

 

Exactly, that is because every NFL team knows that Coach G is one of the best in the business and if he said because Coach G was too tough on him, he gets erased from their draft boards.  Cowart did a great job in owning his own short-comings while at Auburn.

[DAG 33,980]

16 minutes ago, auburnphan said:

Still, NFL teams have been asking Cowart a lot about his time at Auburn and why he decided to leave.

“Really, just am I going to take ownership or am I going to point the finger at somebody else -- is it this person or that person?” Cowart said. “In reality, it was just me. I didn’t have the I.Q. coming out. I was bigger and stronger than everybody. … I didn’t understand that at the time. I’m just thinking, you wake up, practice a little bit and it happened in the game. I didn’t know the preparation that it took to be good on Saturday and Sunday.” 

 

Exactly, that is because every NFL team knows that Coach G is one of the best in the business and if he said because Coach G was too tough on him, he gets erased from their draft boards.  Cowart did a great job in owning his own short-comings while at Auburn.

Yep. Going to Maryland was best for him for sure, but it is hard to ignore the fact that coach G has some men in those trenches. Good for cowart. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

We begged him to come here and he did. Didn't work out. He never caused any problems away from the field that I know of. I wish him nothing but the best. 

[tbone4jc 2,241]

Owning up to your own failures is one of the hardest things to face.  Its always easy to point fingers and blame others for your failurre. Seeing your flaws is huge in order to correct them and becoming successful in life. Pray that BC's dreams and potential come to pass.

[Zeek 16,649]

5 hours ago, abw0004 said:

‘I’m going to be the next Jadeveon Clowney,’

Not a good goal. That kid is still too lazy to live up to his own potential.

5 hours ago, abw0004 said:

I didn’t know that just because we go through something in the meeting room, that don’t mean that you just turn your brain off.

Duh

5 hours ago, abw0004 said:

“In reality, it was just me. I didn’t have the I.Q. coming out. I was bigger and stronger than everybody. … I didn’t understand that at the time. I’m just thinking, you wake up, practice a little bit and it happened in the game. I didn’t know the preparation that it took to be good on Saturday and Sunday.”

Awesome ownership of the situation though. That's about the best answer he could give. Good read and I wish we'd hear more truths behind the scenes sometimes. Glad he doesn't have any animosity towards AU.