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A versatile, fifth-year player who is expected to be the leader of the offensive line this season ... an intellligent, hard-nosed player with good feet ... should vie for All-ACC honors in the fall ... a preseason third team All-ACC selection by Athlon and Phil Steele ... has played mostly guard, but will start at center ... one of the Terps' top reserve linemen in 2006 and 2007 ... emerged as the starting right guard last year ... has played in 28 career games, including 18 starts (13 at RG/five at LG) ... a two-time Academic All-ACC performer ... one of the strongest players on the team ... owns the all-time record among Terps' offensive linemen in the clean (435 in 2008) and is second all-time in the vertical jump (35.5 inches in 2007) among offensive linemen ... also has the third-best strength index (748 in 2008) in school history (among offensive linemen).
As a Junior (2008): Played in all 13 games, including starts at right guard in the final 12 ... also played left guard ... member of a line that enabled Da'Rel Scott (1,133) to become the seventh Terp back, and first since 2002 (Chris Downs), to gain over 1,000 rushing yards ... the line also aided Chris Turner to throw for 2,516 yards, the seventh-highest single-season total in school history ... one of eight Terps to earn Academic All-ACC honors ... graded out as the Terps' top lineman in three of the first four games ... part of the unit that surrendered just seven sacks during the seven-game span from Sept. 20 to Nov. 15, five of which resulted in Maryland victories ... part of the unit that surrendered just one sack and helped Scott rush for 197 yards vs. Delaware (8/30) ... graded out as the top offensive lineman against the Blue Hens ... graded out as the top lineman for a unit that scored 35 points vs. No. 23 Cal (9/13) ... part of the unit that accounted for 51 points and 486 total yards against Eastern Michigan (9/20) ... graded out as the top lineman vs. the Eagles ... part of the unit that helped Terp ball carriers rack up 203 rushing yards (including 163 by Scott) vs. NC State (10/25) ... part of the unit that helped Scott and fellow RB Davin Meggett combine for 215 rushing yards and allowed just one sack vs. North Carolina (11/15) ... helped spearhead a solid offensive attack in the win over Nevada in the Humanitarian Bowl (12/30) ... offense posted 456 total yards, including 258 rushing yards, vs. a Wolf Pack defense which entered the game ranked third nationally against the run (74.5 ypg).
As a Sophomore (2007): Played in all 13 games on the offensive line, starting six, including five at left guard and one at right guard ... one of six Terps to earn Academic All-ACC honors ... aided running backs Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore to rush for nearly 1,600 yards and 25 TDs ... also helped first-year starting QB Chris Turner post the third-best passing efficiency rating in the ACC ... (vs. Villanova) ... saw action in 33 plays at center and guard vs. Villanova (9/1) ... also saw time mostly as a reserve the next three games ... was in on 25 plays as a reserve vs. Rutgers (9/29(, seeing action mostly at center ... saw action as a reserve on 42 plays vs. Georgia Tech (10/6) ... replaced an injured Andrew Crummey at right guard in the first half ... earned his first career start, opening the Virginia game (10/20) at right guard for Crummey ... was in on 57 plays to lead all offensive linemen ... started the Clemson game (10/27) at left guard in place of Jaimie Thomas, who fractured his fibula vs. Virginia ... in on 64 plays, tops among o-linemen ... started at left guard vs. UNC (11/3) and saw action in 71 plays ... started at left guard vs. BC (11/10) and was in on all but one play (65 total) ... helped the offense post a season-high 472 total yards ... started at left guard vs. FSU (11/17) and NC State (11/24) ... saw action in 69 plays (most among O-linemen) in helping the offense post a season-high 249 rushing yards vs. the Wolfpack ... played as a reserve at right guard vs. Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl (12/28) ... posted the seventh-highest strength index on the team (tops among offensive linemen) in spring testing.
As a Redshirt Freshman (2006): Saw action in two games along the offensive line... played in the season opener vs. William & Mary (9/2) and vs. West Virginia (9/14) ... served as the No. 2 center ... spent most of the spring as the No. 1 center with Edwin Williams out due to injury.
As a Freshman (2005): Redshirt season ... performed well enough in practice to make every road trip.
At Holy Cross High School: A three-year starter on the offensive line ... spent all three years at left guard and did not miss a game in his career ... had almost 80 pancake blocks his senior season ... a second team all-state pick by the Associated Press ... a first team All-South New Jersey selection by the Philadelphia Inquirer and Camden Courier Post ... also first team all-county ... was all-parochial as a junior and senior and all-county all three years ... an All-East region pick by PrepStar ... team finished 9-2 his senior year, advancing to the NJSIAA non-public finals ... very agile ... posted a 4.58 pro shuttle time at the Nike Training Camp, fifth-best among 71 linemen participating ... personal bests in high school were a 335-pound bench and 480-pound squat ... also a three-year letterwinner in golf ... also recruited by North Carolina, Temple, Minnesota and Syracuse ... coached by Jerry McConnell.
Personal: Born July 11, 1987 ... parents are Helen and Dr. Richard Costa ... brother, Rick Jr., played linebacker at Maryland (2006-08) after spending his freshman year at Temple ... father is a former competitive bodybuilder who was Mr. New Jersey in 1980 ... an avid fisherman ... started lifting weights at age seven ... graduated in May 2009 with a degree in criminology and criminal justice ... maintained over a 3.0 GPA ... working toward a graduate certificate in real estate development ... recipient of the Robert and Shelley Pinkner Director's Circle Scholarship.
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