COLLEGE PARK — Maryland tight end Derrick Hayward said his 9-yard touchdown catch in Friday's 42-14 win at Florida International, his first as a Terp, was "three long years in the making."
The same might be said about Hayward's ascension into the starting lineup.
Playing a position that was often an afterthought in former coordinator Mike Locksley's offense, the 6-5, 235-pound junior from Salisbury has typically been in the shadows of other tight ends.
First it was Andrew Isaacs, then P.J. Gallo and finally Avery Edwards last season. Hayward got to play some when Isaacs got hurt two years ago, catching a career-best 17-yarder at Wisconsin. In his first two years, he had caught four passes.
When Gallo opted to forego his fifth-year of eligibility for a job on Wall Street, it was down to Hayward and Edwards. In one of the bigger surprises of the preseason camp, Hayward beat out Edwards, who had two touchdowns last season at South Florida among his 14 receptions for 115 yards.
Asked if he felt he was given more of an opportunity by new coach DJ Durkin and offensive coordinator Walt Bell than he was under former coach Randy Edsall and Locksley, Hayward said, "Yeah, because when Coach Durkin came in, his biggest thing was that nobody had a [starting] position. Everybody's position was up for the grabs."
Hayward said he tried to show over the summer "that I was the best fit for a starting spot." When he got to start the season opener against Howard, Hayward realized he accomplished his goal.
"I was happy and excited that all the work I put in this summer had paid off," Hayward said.
Durkin said Tuesday that Hayward's work ethic and improvement since the start of spring camp have been dramatic.
"Derrick's been tremendous," Durkin said. "He's been a constant, keeping improving since Day 1 of spring. He was not where he is right now on the depth chart when we started spring [practice] and obviously he's done really well and he has earned that spot."
While his touchdown catch was Hayward's first reception of the 2016, he said believes that he could become a bigger part of the offense.
"I think right now with the defenses we've seen, running has been a big emphasis," Hayward said. "They might have shut down some of the things we had planned in the passing game. But I think coming up soon, you start to see passing having a bigger effect on the offense."
It could happen this Saturday when Maryland (2-0) plays at Central Florida (1-1), which saw its pass defense surrender 312 yards and four touchdowns in a 51-13 loss at Michigan last week. Perry Hills threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns in Maryland's win in Miami.
"He's doing a really good job of blocking well on the perimeter, he can be an effective guy for us in the pass game too," Durkin said of Hayward. "He can run and stretch the field. He's got good ball skills. That position for us on offense is really critical. The more we can build and develop that, the more it will help us be a versatile offense."
Hayward, who played more as a wide receiver at Wicomico High, said he doesn't favor his responsibilities as a potential target to those blocking for Maryland's improved running game, which ranks second in the Big Ten to Ohio State.
"Whichever gets us in the end zone is what I'm trying to do," Hayward said.