About halfway through the first quarter of Maryland football’s game against Michigan State on Sept. 23, quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa faked the handoff to running back Antwain Littleton II, rolled out to the right and found Sean Greeley wide open for a 1-yard touchdown.
For the Terps, the play marked the beginning of what ended up being a lopsided 31-9 win in East Lansing, Mich. In addition to his first career touchdown, Greeley forced a fumble in the second quarter, making him the third FBS player since 2012 to record an offensive touchdown reception and a forced fumble in the same game.
“With the offensive threat, it just kind of happened over spring ball there,” Greeley said on Glenn Clark Radio Sept. 28. “We had some people transfer out and needed someone in the role. They asked if I wanted to do it and I said, ‘Yeah, sure, why not?'”
For Greeley, his first career touchdown reception was a reminder of the long road it took for him to get there. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound linebacker walked on to the team in 2019 and was put on scholarship ahead of the 2022 season.
“[Head coach Michael Locksley] had us just kind of stand up and tell them why we love football in front of the team,” Greeley said, recalling how he was put on scholarship. “When it happened, I was completely in shock. I got swarmed by my teammates. I actually ended up taking a helmet to the lip. Definitely worth it.”
In 29 games throughout his career, Greeley has 25 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The fifth-year linebacker grew up in Havre de Grace rooting for the Terps because of his father,
“My dad was a big Maryland fan,” Greeley said. “He always watched, no matter what the situation was here, how we were doing. Big Maryland basketball fan as well. I guess I followed in his footsteps.”
If Maryland didn’t work out for Greeley, he probably would have stopped playing football. It was Maryland or nowhere coming out of Havre de Grace High School.
“I didn’t really have any desire to go anywhere else,” Greeley said. “I kind of felt like I just put all my eggs in one basket here, and I was like, ‘I’m all in on this. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.’ I just kept my nose down, kept working and it worked out.”
Even as a walk-on, he thought about quitting because of financial hardships. He still stuck with it, and it worked out in the end.
“I had multiple conversations with my mom about [quitting],” Greeley said. “Every time, she made it seem like everything was fine, just being a good mother. There was that, and also, just being around my teammates, I’ve made some great friendships throughout this team. They’re my guys. They’re like family, so it’s hard to bring myself to walk away from all of that.”
With his increased role on the team since being put on scholarship, as well as the backing from friends and family, Greeley is more motivated to help his team.
“I think having the opportunity now to just play for the university, my friends and family all enjoy watching me. I’m grateful for that, they cheer me on,” Greeley said. “I think that definitely keeps me going and gives me a little more motivation than I had before.”
For more from Greeley, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics