This is part of a series of 2008 Maryland football commitment Q&As leading up to Signing Day on Feb. 6. All answers are provided by the featured player. Click here for previous entries in the series.

Name: Masengo Kabongo
Birthdate: 5/23/90
Birthplace: Lubumbashi, Congo
Hometown: Lubumbashi and Stratford, Conn.
Nicknames: Maska (his middle name)
Height: 6’2 1/2
Weight: 285
Position: Defensive line
High School: Fairfield (Conn.) Prep
Senior statistics: 47 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 8 quarterback knockdowns and 3 forced fumbles
Rankings: Rivals.com -- Four stars, No. 24 DT, No. 2 player in Connecticut. Scout.com -- Three stars, No. 33 DT.
Bench max: 380
40-yard dash: 4.9
Runner-up: Illinois or Florida
Other schools considered: Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Oklahoma, Clemson, Boston College, UConn
Favorite NFL player: Jason Taylor
Favorite NFL team: New England Patriots
Favorite all-time Terp: Shawne Merriman
Favorite music: Lil Wayne, gospel, African music
Favorite book: Beowulf
Favorite movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite TV show: Chappelle’s Show
Favorite food: African food, sombe’ with rice and chicken
Favorite high school class: Math
Favorite thing about College Park: “The University of Maryland. The town itself is not that great, but the school is what’s nice about it. And I like the dorms. The dorms are really nice.”
Other high school sports: Track and basketball (freshman and sophomore years)
Hobbies: Go to movies, play sports, lift, hang out with friends
Intended major: Economics and/or International Business, Engineering
Something that not many people know about you: “Most people don’t know about my personality. They just don’t know the person of Maska.”
Best football moment: “My best football moment was probably my first game as a sophomore and maybe the third play of the game I had a sack.”
Role model: “My father because I consider him to be Superman.”
Why Maryland? “I feel like it would be a great fit for me and I like the location of the school because it’s right in between DC and Baltimore and I’m looking to professionally work at the international level somehow. That will help me, with the location of the school. I love the feeling that I had when I visited there, so I went with it.”