Tate hearing from ACC schools

Newark (Md.) Stephen Decatur rising junior Benjamin Tate is still waiting on his first offer, but a collection of ACC schools have begun taking notice of the all-conference tailback.

Tate, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound prospect with 4.41 speed in the 40-yard dash rushed for nearly 1,000 yards on 93 carries, averaging over 10 yards-per-attempt and scoring 16 touchdowns. He also posted a camp best time of 3.87 in the shuttle at the Nike combine held at Penn State earlier this year.

“Maryland, North Carolina State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech are beginning to contact me with some regularity,” explained Tate. “One of my goals this season is to finish the year with my first offer in hand.”

Tate possesses good field vision, speed, and knack for breaking tackles and turn what would be short gains into big plays.

“I can make a lot of runs where I should have been down for little to no gain into a big play,” admitted Tate. “I’d like to become a better north/south runner by cutting up into the hole quicker at times. I get caught thinking about a play too much once in a while instead of just following my blocks.”

Tate could also become a force on the defensive side of the football. Tate only played two games in the secondary as a sophomore, but he intercepted four passes and earned second team all-conference honors despite his minimal amount of playing time.

“I think I’ll be playing a lot on both sides of the field this year,” Tate said. “I hope to break the 2,000 yard rushing mark and make a name for myself as the top player on Maryland’s eastern shore. I’d like to eventually be able to help open the door for a lot of my teammates and other players in the region.”

Practice began last weekend for Stephan Decatur. Tate is optimistic about his team’s ability to take the next step.

“As a team, we made it to the regional finals, but we were unable to advance,” explained Tate. “The goal is to make it back to that game, but come out on top this year and make a run in the state playoffs.”