These are the players and coaches with ties to Maryland on the Rams and Bengals – Orange County Register

Sunday’s Super Bowl 56 game between the NFC’s Los Angeles Rams and the AFC’s Cincinnati Bengals will have some local flavor.

Here’s a list of players and coaches with Maryland ties to look out for at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California:

Rams run back to Jake Funk

Funk, a seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft, is in his first year with the Rams after rushing to 968 yards and 10 touchdowns in five seasons at Maryland. In 2020, Funk was named the All-Big Ten third-place team after leading the league in yards per take (8.60). The now 24-year-old was a star at Damascus High School, where he ran 2,866 yards and 57 touchdowns as a senior while leading the Hornets to the Class 3A state title.

Safe Rams Eric Weddle

The six-time Pro Bowl safety player played in three seasons for Raven, totaling 220 tackles and 10 interceptions between 2016 and 2019. The 37-year-old Weddle’s journey to the Super Bowl was unique. The 12-year veteran, who also played nine seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, retired for nearly two full seasons when the Rams signed him ahead of their group stage win over the Arizona Cardinals last month.

During Weddle’s illustrious career, he scored 1,179 tackles, 29 interceptions and 38 tackles conceded.

Rams full-back Darious Williams

The Jacksonville, Florida-born player started his career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham before winning the all-American first team title by Pro Football Focus as a senior in 2017. After retiring in 2018, 29-year-old Williams signed with Raven and played three games in Baltimore before being released. He signed with the Rams in October 2018 and eventually became a reliable defender for Los Angeles, starting 26 games over the past three seasons. He will become an unrestricted free agent this season.

Bengals substitute Keandre Jones

Jones, a sophomore quarterback, played for Terps in 2019 after appearing in 34 games in three seasons at Ohio State. During his lone season at Maryland, he led the team in defeats (15), pocketed (seven) and required defeats (three) to claim All-Big Ten honors.

Jones, 24, signed with the Chicago Bears as an untrained free agent but was waived before the start of the 2020 season. He has been on the Bengals’ practice squad in most of last season and played two games at the end of the year before being added to the 53-man roster.

Coming out of Good Counsel in Olney, Jones was a four-star recruit and played in the Under Armor All-American game as a senior.

The Rams turned their backs on Blake Countess

The native The Owings Mills starred at Good Counsel and was selected to play in the 2010 US Army All-American Rugby Championship. He played three seasons at Michigan before moving to Auburn in his senior year.

The countess, 28, was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2016 draft and had time against the Rams, New York Jets and Ravens before joining Los Angeles again before the Super Bowl. its take place.

The Bengals hit the tip of Zach Kerr

Kerr helped Quince Orchard win the state championship in 2007 before playing at Maryland under former coach Ralph Friedgen. Kerr played two seasons with Terps before moving to Delaware and then signing with the Indianapolis Colts as an untrained free agent in 2014.

The 31-year-old Kerr also played for the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers before being signed by the Bengali from the Cardinals’ training team last month.

Rams must deal with Rob Havenstein

Havenstein, 29, made 99 starts in seven seasons for the Rams after being selected in the second round of the 2015 draft. The former Wisconsin star has been named the first team to Consensus All-Big Ten. during his final college season and was invited to the 2015 Senior Bowl. He made an immediate impact with the Rams, earning an All-Rookie title from the Pro Football Writers of America.

The Mount Airy native played for Linganore High and was considered the top offensive player in Maryland and tackled the 33rd ball in the country in 2010.

Bengals face Prince Isaiah

A Greenbelt native of Prince George County, Prince is a four-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the state of Maryland after leaving Eleanor Roosevelt High School in 2015. He’s had three starts in the right place. for the State of Ohio. , won the All-Big Ten title on the first team as a senior before being picked by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Prince, 24, played four games in Miami before making his debut and joining the Bengals in December 2019. After opting out of the 2020 season over coronavirus concerns, Prince took over when Riley Reiff took over. suffered a season-ending ankle injury and helped the Bengals reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years.

Bengals senior defensive assistant Mark Duffner

Duffner spent five years as head coach at Maryland and led the Terps to a 20-35 record from 1992 to 1996. His only winning season at College Park was in 1995, when they won 6-5. .

68-year-old Duffner, who has coached in the NFL for 25 years, was the Bengals’ team captain and defensive coordinator from 1997 to 2002. He has coached the Green Bay Packers, Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before rejoining the Bengals staff as senior defensive assistant in 2019.

Bengals special team coordinator / assistant head coach Darrin Simmons

Simmons joined the NFL in 1998 with the Ravens, serving as assistant specials coach and assistant strength and conditioning coach. Now in his 19th season with the Bengals, he is the longest-serving coach on the staff, spending all of his time in Cincinnati leading special teams units. Simmons, 48, also coached with the Panthers from 1999 to 2002 before joining the Bengals in 2003.