Maryland Tight End Dorian Fleming Named To Mackey Award Watchlist
Maryland redshirt sophomore tight end Dorian Fleming has been named to the preseason John Mackey Award Watchlist, awarded to the best tight end in college football. The award honors the legacy of the late former Syracuse and Baltimore Colts tight end John Mackey, who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Maryland tight end Dorian Fleming has been named to the 2025 Mackey Award Watch List, which is given annually to the nation’s top tight end. pic.twitter.com/xYRHgX7H5f
— Inside Maryland Sports (@Terrapins247) August 8, 2025
Fleming transfers from Georgia State, where, after redshirting in 2023, where he played in four games. He caught 49 passes for 558 yards and six touchdowns last season ,and caught at least four passes in eight games. His performance earned him 2024 Second Team All-Conference recognition, College Football Network All-Sun Belt First Team Offense honors, and 2024 HERO Sports G5 All-American acclaim.
Fleming also excelled academically, earning recognition on the 2023-2024 Academic Honor Roll. He was a three-star prospect out of Life Christian Academy in Henrico, Virginia, ranked No. 48 in Virginia and No. 181 nationally in the class of 2023, per 247Sports.
Pro Football Sports Network projects Fleming to transition seamlessly from Group of Five competition to the Big Ten, ranking him as the nation’s tenth-best returning tight end with a Tight End Plus grade of 80.85.
PFSN with the breakdown of Fleming:
“A superb athlete, Fleming had a breakout season with Georgia State in 2024, as he finished the season as the Panthers’ second-leading receiver. His 49 catches for 558 yards and six touchdowns earned the 6’3”, 234-pound tight end honors and put Power Four schools on notice as he transfers to Maryland in 2025.”
Pro Football Focus also recently praised Fleming, highlighting him and his teammate safety Jalen Huskey in its player spotlight when they featured the 2025 Maryland Terrapins.
.@PFF_College 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) August 3, 2025
👉 @Therealfleming_
👉 @HuskeyJalen pic.twitter.com/e1wM5ovqZY
“Dorian Fleming joins Maryland after a strong season at Georgia State, where he ranked among the top 15 tight ends in receiving touchdowns (6), yards after the catch (313), and forced missed tackles (11). His receiving yards placed him just outside the top at No. 16. An elite athlete for the position, Fleming ranked above the 96th percentile in PFF’s game athleticism metric.”
Fleming will surely become the top target for whoever wins the starting quarterback job in camp. The contenders are Malik Washington, Khristian Martin, and Justin Martin. He and Nolan Ray, who is on the Doak Walker Award watchlist, should be the main weapons on offense for Maryland.
The Mackey Award will be presented on Dec. 12 at the Home Depot College Awards Show.
More Maryland News
Maryland's Del Pino drains buzzer-beater to deliver Spain U18 EuroBasket title
Buzz Williams brings heart and hoops to Maryland with "Buzz's Bunch" camp
From Maryland Terrapins star to the IFL; Taulia Tagovailoa's pro dream continues
Maryland QB Battle: After losing Edwards, Jr to the Wisconsin Badgers, who will replace Tagovailoa?
Maryland locked in battle with B1G rivals Michigan and Ohio State for five-star receiver
Brandon is a lifelong sports long sports fanatic with over a decade in sports media. He's a Prince George’s County, Maryland native who has spent most of his adult life in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. After getting his start as an intern with Sportsradio 93.7 the fan in Pittsburgh, he covered high school sports for TribTotalMedia, covered Pittsburgh Athletics for Pittsburgh Sports Report, Pittsburgh Sports Now (Penn State coverage), and was credentialed for the 2022 season for the New Pittsburgh Courier. Brandon is now covering HBCU Sports for Urban Media Today, as well covering the Terps for Maryland on SI.