Former Maryland running back Roman Hemby left College Park following the 2024 season to go to Indiana. The split was amicable, with Terps head coach Michael Locksley admitting in the past that the program can’t always match the offers that players receive on the transfer market.
In four seasons at Maryland, Hemby accumulated 3,268 yards from scrimmage and 27 touchdowns for the Terps. He holds no ill will toward the program.
“I got my degree from the University of Maryland. That’s still my alma mater regardless of how things shook out,” Hemby said on Glenn Clark Radio July 17. “I really just think it’s really a business move how it [played] out. It was never really a shot to try to hurt anyone’s feelings on either end. We just had to do what was best for myself and they had to do what was best for the program. I could never really have any ill will or hate toward anyone in the program and I feel like it’s reciprocated toward me. I feel like they have love and respect for me the same way I have love and respect for them.”
Hemby went on to win the national championship at Indiana, with a 27-21 victory against Miami capping off a 16-0 season for the Hoosiers. He started all 16 games, recording 1,285 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.
The victory completed a turnaround for the Hoosiers under second-year coach Curt Cignetti. Indiana went from 9-27 in the three seasons prior to the 27-2 mark in two seasons under Cignetti. Hemby was asked about a special sauce Cignetti brought to the program, one that Locksley might want to replicate to turn around the Terps.
“I really think it’s their recruiting,” Hemby said. “They bring in guys that have great culture. Veteran guys that have been experienced, seen a little bit and just really are in a state of mind in their careers where they want to band together and do something bigger than themselves and be something bigger than themselves. I really think it’s the culmination of having guys that are just so like-minded in the same room and guys that have the tools and the experience to be successful.”
The 23-year-old Hemby was not selected in the 2026 NFL Draft but later signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. That gives him a chance to work for a roster spot behind star running back Ashton Jeanty alongside other young players like Dylan Laube and Mike Washington Jr.
“I feel like I’ve been underrated my whole life — even in high school, going to a B-level [football] school in the state of Maryland,” said Hemby, a native of Edgewood and graduate of John Carroll. “We were kind of overlooked in that regard. I was blessed enough to be able to make it to the University of Maryland, but I always felt a little bit overlooked. I always took it as a chip on my shoulder. … As an undrafted free agent going somewhere where nothing is promised and it’s all earned, I kind of wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Hemby will see a familiar face as he battles for a roster spot in training camp. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, his teammate at Indiana, was taken with the first pick in the draft by the Raiders.
“I think it’s really cool to transition from college and go to the NFL with a brother of mine, somebody that I went to war with for the past year had success with, battled through adversity with,” Hemby said. “To see the success he’s had is very encouraging. To see somebody that puts in the work every day with the same mentality, as process-driven as he is, to see that work out for him, [it] is very awesome to be a part of his journey.”
For more from Hemby, watch the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Indiana Athletics