Maryland adds preferred walk-on running back
The week-old news of Alabama quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa helped give the Terps more depth at running back.
On Friday evening, Coffeyville running back Challen Fa'amatau announced his decision to transfer to Maryland.
"First and foremost I want to give God all the glory. With the support of my family as well as my Tagovailoa family in Alabama throughout my whole journey, through high school and Juco I can honestly say it was not easy but you guys are the ones that believed in me the most," Fa'amatau wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to Coffeyville Community College for giving me an opportunity to finish my last Juco season and also allowing me to earn my Associate Degree. With much prayer and thought I'm humbly blessed and thankful for the opportunity to say that I will continue my next two years of my athletic & academic career at the University of Maryland. Go Terps!" Faamatau added.
A former first-team All-State selection at Farrington High School (HI), Fa'amatau began his college career at Pima College in Arizona before transferring to Coffeyville last fall. Fa'amatau explained to KHON2 how the connection to the Tagovailoa family helped make his next move possible.
“It’s definitely a dream come true coming out of high school, knowing that I had to take the JUCO route. Everyone knows that the JUCO route is not easy,” he told KHON2. “Just with the support of not just my family, but my Tagovailoa family in Alabama, they’re the ones that always believed in me and always continued to push me. Not just football, but also in the classroom.”
In 2019, Fa'amautau rushed for 362 yards and a touchdown on 99 carries.
