JARED GAITHER
Pro: Gaither was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 31st selection in the 5th round of the 2007 supplemental draft.
College: Talented, powerful offensive tackle who possesses an ideal combination of size and athleticism…Saw action at both tackle positions (9 starts at RT and 8 starts at LT)…Will provide good depth and versatility along the offensive line…Started 17 of his final 21 games for the Terps…Played in 12 games, including 9 starts at RT as a sophomore (2006)…Part of an offensive line that allowed just 19 sacks (2nd-lowest total in the ACC) and paved the way for RBs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball to rush for over 700 yards each for the season…Burst on to the scene as a freshman, earning 3rd team Freshman All-American by College Football News honors and honorable mention by The Sporting News…Saw action in all 11 games, starting 8 at LT and did not allow a sack and was only whistled for 2 penalties in 583 plays.
2006: Played in 12 games, including 9 starts at RT as a sophomore…Part of an offensive line that allowed just 19 sacks (2nd-lowest total in the ACC) and paved the way for RBs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball to rush for over 700 yards each on the season…Saw action in 38 plays, helping the Terps post a season-high 429 yards of total offense vs. Purdue in the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl…Started at RT and posted 2 big blocks and did not allow a sack in 64 plays vs. Florida International University…Was a member of the 2006 preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy…Was also a consensus preseason All-ACC choice.
2005: Third-team Freshman All-American by College Football News and honorable mention by The Sporting News, seeing action in all 11 games, starting 8 at LT as a freshman…Did not allow a sack and was only whistled for 2 penalties in 583 plays…Finished the season with a 1.122 grade, 2nd-highest on the team…On a day the team struggled in pass protection (allowed 6 sacks), Gaither gave up no sacks and posted 2 pancake blocks and no penalties in 70 offensive plays at North Carolina State…Was the team’s highest-rated blocker and did not allow a sack on 77 plays at North Carolina…Was the team’s 2nd-highest rated lineman, when he was in on a team-high 64 plays and was credited with a team-high tying 3 big blocks vs. Virginia Tech.
High School, Personal: Started every game at right tackle and was rated as the No. 3 prep school prospect in the nation by Rivals.com out of Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, VA)…Played just 1 season of football at Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, MD) HS, starting on the defensive line…Played basketball for 3 years, participating in football for the 1st time as a senior…Played DT and TE for 1 of the top teams in the state…Recorded 89 tackles, including 9 sacks, and 1 FF while batting down 4 passes at the line of scrimmage…Was primarily a blocking TE, but finished the season with 3 receptions for 93 yards and a pair of TDs…Ranked as the 36th-best DT in the nation by Rivals.com, was an honorable mention All-Met selection by the Washington Post, a SuperPrep All-American and Mid-Atlantic all-region pick and a PrepStar honorable mention selection…Was also selected to play for Maryland in the Super 44 All-Star game…Was 1st team all-league and all-county…Helped lead his team to a 12-1 record in 2003 (only loss came in 4A state semifinals)…Lettered 4 years in basketball…Was a major D-I recruit in basketball and had verbally committed to South Carolina in hoops before deciding to play football.
