After six years and countless experiences at the University of Maryland, offensive lineman Sean Christie is ready to make his jump to the NFL.
The 6-foot-4, 287-pound lineman’s career at Maryland got off to a slow start, not seeing the field in his first two years and appearing on special teams in all 13 games his third year (2016). Christie started all 12 games in his final three seasons as a Terp.
“The last couple years, it’s been kind of a roller coaster — ups and downs. … It’s given me the ability to appreciate everything I have and appreciate the work effort that goes into it to be able to show up on a Saturday or Sunday and play to your best abilities,” Christie said on Glenn Clark Radio March 23.
Christie’s six years at Maryland offered him a lot of experiences many college athletes won’t have to go through in playing for four head coaches in six years: Randy Edsall (2014-2015), Michael Locksley (2015), DJ Durkin (2016-2017), Matt Canada (2018) and Locksley again (2019). He was there in 2018 when his teammate, Jordan McNair, died two weeks after being hospitalized with heatstroke after practice. He was there when the culture was characterized as “toxic,” and he was there for the rallying of the team in honor of their teammate.
While Maryland only rallied to a 5-7 overall record, it knocked off No. 23 Texas in its season opener and stayed with Ohio State until the end of a 52-51 loss in November 2018, which Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer termed a “street fight.”
Christie said the Terps played for McNair in 2018.
“That was the kind of fire that we brought with us that [Ohio State] game and that whole season we brought that fire with us, that was our motivational factor, that’s what kept us going. And I definitely would love to think that I have that in me,” Christie said.
Christie saw it all at Maryland and stayed with the team through the good and the bad. He struggled with injuries during his first two seasons with the Terps but decided against transferring.
“I just couldn’t do it, man. I just couldn’t leave my teammates, I couldn’t leave the life that I already started to build there,” Christie said. “I had to make the most out of it.”
Playing in all 13 games in his third year, Christie was finally getting closer to where he wanted to be. He went on to start every game in the next three seasons, paving the way for running backs Ty Johnson, Anthony McFarland and Javon Leake to break out and set records. He also learned how valuable he had become to the team.
“I’m definitely a more understanding person, being somebody who had a lot of injuries, had overcome a lot of obstacles,” Christie said.
But Christie isn’t done with the obstacles yet, facing restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping away from large groups — including a pro day and other important chances for players to show NFL coaches and scouts reasons to draft him.
“We streamed [our own pro day] on Facebook Live. … I thought I performed up to my capabilities, performed pretty well, good enough to get me in the door. That’s all I need, that’s all I really want,” Christie said.
As a player who might not be on every NFL team’s radar, Christie is determined to show coaches that he is the kind of teammate they are looking for, whether he’s drafted or signed later on.
“It would be great to be drafted, but even if you sign undrafted, I’d be forever grateful for that and hopefully the four years of film I have at Maryland is enough to be some kind of resume,” Christie said.
Asked what he’d bring to a team, Christie said that he’s “a guy that’ll have your back. Do anything for his teammates, I feel like that’s what I’ve done over the last six years.”
For more from Christie, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics