TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — — Maryland linebacker Kenny Tate, a preseason all-conference pick who starred at safety last season, will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, coach Randy Edsall said Sunday.
Edsall said Tate, a senior and team captain, will seek a medical redshirt to return in 2012. Following surgery, he will be out six to nine months, according to the school.
Edsall would not disclose the nature of Tate's injury. "This is just something that he's had. He's just taken a hit in one of the games this year," the coach said.
Two people who know Tate describe a nagging injury that has required a procedure to drain a buildup of fluid. Maryland wouldn't say whether it was a leg injury. Tate, whose right leg has been wrapped, last played against Towson on Oct. 1, recording nine tackles. He warmed up before the Georgia Tech game on Oct. 8 but did not play.
On Saturday, Tate walked to midfield with two other captains before Maryland's 41-16 loss to Florida State, but he was not wearing pads.
Tate has not been made available recently for media interviews. Maryland quoted the player in a release Sunday saying of the surgery: "This is the best course of action to get healthy and get back on the field next season."
Last season, Tate, a solid NFL prospect at 6 feet 4 inches and 220 pounds, had 100 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a safety. His 7.7 tackles per game were seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tate was switched by Edsall in the offseason to a hybrid linebacker-safety position called "Star."
Edsall was also asked during his Sunday media conference call about Maryland's uncertain quarterback situation.
Maryland starter C.J. Brown left Saturday's game after Florida State linebacker Nigel Bradham delivered a blow to Brown's head in the third quarter. "I tried to slide but didn't get all the way down," Brown said. "The guy came up and drove me in the head."
Maryland's two touchdowns and longest pass plays of the day — 69 and 43 yards — came after former starter Danny O'Brien's entrance with the