Taylor Lyons

Sports for The Baltimore Sun. @thedbk grad.

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Swope told me dual-sport freshman Bud Coombs said during their exit meeting last month that he wanted to stay at Maryland. The football and baseball teams had already mapped out how Coombs would split his time.

"I had three different conversations in a week with him wanting to stay for less money," Swope said. "And then, it just changed."

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

I called Matt Swope today to ask what's going on with Maryland baseball’s roster exodus. So far, 21 players are in the portal.

Swope admitted a lot of those departures were unexpected and said "I'm trying to do the best I can."

Free link: https://t.co/WXgIZBU8Vr

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Swope doesn't feel like he lost the locker room. And he reaffirmed his commitment to the Terps.

"There was no coup. There were no people unhappy," he said. "I want to be here. I love this place."

For reference, from @aidan_currie_: https://t.co/dPO7MzBPT8

[Aidan Currie @aidan_currie_]

Updated version since I forgot a few names initially.

All 40 guys should be accounted for now.

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

A kid threw a ball at a player, Kyle Bradish is back, and the Orioles won 7 of 10 on the homestand with a 9-5 victory over the Blue Jays: https://t.co/r2icoToErG

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Trevor Rogers admitted he got tired and should have "put my ego aside" before he allowed four runs in the seventh inning, which started a blown five-run lead in an Orioles 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays.

"We should have won the game." https://t.co/Vk6nxoBEdq

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Craig Albernaz called Albert Suárez a "valuable piece" of the bullpen as he rejoins the Orioles after his third DFA this season: https://t.co/a3RUHkiP8x

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Suarez said "I don't focus off the field" while his place on the roster remains uncertain.

"My main focus is on the field, what I can do on the field, what I can do to be ready to be on the field, and then to execute and do a good job to help the team win."

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said there are few players who can handle being moved around as much as Albert Suarez.

“That's why we love Albert Suarez. He's a special individual. I think anyone that's been around him knows that it’s very tough to find someone that's more genuine than him. He's such a great teammate. He's also a really good pitcher. And his ability to kind of deal with the DFA, be in limbo and come right back in the clubhouse like nothing ever happened, and then toe the mound and get big league hitters out, it's really impressive. He's a valuable piece to what we do.”

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Teamed up with @Mikephowes and @jacobstein23 for a look into the growth of high school girls flag football in Maryland. With help from the Ravens, most counties have hopped on. But some hold out because of funding concerns. https://t.co/2ngpCnK1uI

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Controversy in juco lacrosse!

Harford CC won its fourth straight NJCAA national title this spring. But how they got in the tournament is under scrutiny.

"This is the most corrupt, unprofessional experience I’ve ever encountered."

More: https://t.co/hZ6ByKqri8

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Believe @aidan_currie_ was first to note some of the tweaks coming to Bob Smith Stadium

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Maryland baseball is adjusting its ballpark's hitter-friendly dimensions this offseason, pushing the outfield fences back by as much as 32 feet.

Terps batters led the Big Ten in home runs this season while their pitchers gave up the second most. https://t.co/o8VtJ3QC4R

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

https://t.co/Qk7l1rctPu

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

From the finish line:

[Josh Tolentino @JCTSports]

Happy Preakness Day! Follow @baltimoresun’s live blog for coverage from @samdcohn, @taylorjlyons, @Mikephowes and more: https://t.co/zeukqemBgW

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Hi Ellis. I think my story on this topic last week did cover all sides. I talked to Anthony Pecorella, who’s going for his third degree and spoke glowingly about Mike Locksley. Jim Smith and Brady Rourke were also quoted. It’s awesome that many athletes still prioritize school when it’d be easy for them not to. Unfortunately, two current players and two professors told me that’s not the case for a lot of them today. Just trying to show fans more about the landscape we’re in now.

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Football and men's basketball are not among the 14 teams highlighted in this announcement.

About half of the players from those two teams major in sociology or communication. As we reported last week, UMD professors say more athletes are being pushed toward easier majors.

[Maryland Terrapins @umterps]

Academic excellence 📚🐢

Maryland Athletics set ANOTHER school-record APR with a score of 990, as 14 programs earned a perfect 1000.

Learn more: https://t.co/Sjh2isyZV5

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

"I'm getting paid to be an athlete, so that's going to be my full-time job."

We asked Maryland administrators, professors and players one question.

Do college athletes still go to class?

The answer: It's complicated. (free gift link) https://t.co/taZ6PqdvT3

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

@mikescheeler15 - Historically awful year for almost every program on the field
- Athletic dept last in the conference in revenue + spending
- University facing budget + job cuts
- Athletes openly admitting some of their teammates don't care about school

... are all non issues? Come on man

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

Do college athletes still go to class? Here's what I learned about how Maryland's student-athletes view academics today (long tweet, sorry, getting my $3 a month's worth):

Maryland men's lacrosse's Will Schaller and baseball's Brayden Martin told The Sun that their teammates are deprioritizing classes and the administration should do more to ensure academics remain a focus.

Schaller: "I'd be naive to think that it hasn’t changed. I think there might be a sense of, 'I'm getting paid to basically be an athlete, so that’s going to be my full-time job now.' There’s definitely some work to be done to make sure student-athletes are keeping their education at the forefront.”

Martin: "In this day and age, people can get away with not being too great at school and being a good athlete."

Their honesty is shocking. And you can see this shifting attitude in what players choose to major in.

Of the football team’s 96-man spring roster, 46 are majoring in either sociology or communication or are undeclared. For men’s basketball, 11 of 16 players on last season’s team had one of those three focuses. In 2019 (Locksley's first season), just 21 football players majored in SOCY or COMM or were undeclared, and only four men’s basketball players chose those majors.

That's more than double and almost triple the number of athletes choosing the same area of study. Why?

UMD professors say they think athletes are being nudged toward majors that players and their advisers consider easier.

"They perceive that it is a little less demanding," communication professor Jeremy Grossman told me.

"It’s lower course requirements," a BSOS faculty member told me. "They’re just looking to stay eligible. I’ve had football players, basketball players participate and be active members in classes. But that’s usually the rarity."

Of course, Jim Smith and Maryland admin push back on this.

"That importance of academics still exists and will always exist here," the AD said.

"College athletics has changed, obviously, but what we do hasn’t changed," Brady Rourke, the director of the Gossett Center for Academic Success, told me.

Athletes still must remain eligible. At Maryland, that means maintaining a 1.8 GPA and completing 6 credits per semester. Attendance is not mandatory, but UMD's athletic council handbook says it's "monitored regularly" by Rourke's office.

The bigger question is if athletic departments like Maryland can even afford to keep academics a priority. UMD's financial struggles are well documented. Rourke says his office hasn't dealt with any budget or job cuts so far while the rest of campus does.

But it's clear that academics and athletics are struggling to coexist. More players just don't see themselves as students anymore.

[Taylor Lyons @taylorjlyons]

@TheB1GTerp All fair points. Hard to blame 19 year olds for not showing up to PSYC100 when they're making six or seven figures to play their sport. To me, it's just shocking to hear the athletes be so open about it now.