Hyppolite’s return ‘a cheat code’
Self-awareness is one of the reasons the senior is sometimes called ‘Dad’ by teammates
COLLEGE PARK — Maryland middle linebacker Ruben Hyppolite is regarded as one of the fastest players on the team.
He demonstrated that speed when the No. 4 jersey became available.
Shortly after cornerback Tarheeb Still informed the coaching staff that he intended to opt out of the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, Hyppolite asked to switch from the No. 11 he had worn for his first three seasons for the No. 4 that Still had donned.
Eight months later, Hyppolite acknowledged the suddenness of his request.
“When I actually changed it, a lot of the guys and the staff, they were doing double takes,” he said with a grin. “I just wanted to get right to it. To me, a bowl game is the start of a new season, and I just wanted to pop out with it and get people used to seeing it.”
The rationale behind the switch wasn’t frivolous.
In recent years, defensive stars such as cornerback Will Likely, safety Darnell Savage (currently with the Jacksonville Jaguars), linebacker Keandre Jones (Washington Commanders) and Still (Los Angeles Chargers) wore No. 4, and Hyppolite sought to maintain that legacy.
“It’s a great history with this number,” he said. “A lot of great guys have worn this number, specifically on defense. So I just , , wanted to be a part of that group.”
By some accounts, the 6-foot, 232-pound Hyppolite has already extended that tradition. Last season, he totaled a career-high 66 tackles and was recognized as a third-team All-Big Ten linebacker, joining Still as the only Terps defensive players who earned a spot on either the first, second or third teams. Perhaps the scary part for opposing offenses is that Hyppolite, a fifth-year senior, is continuing to improve, according to defensive coordinator Brian Williams.
“He’s seeing things a lot better, and he knows how and when to utilize his speed,” he said. “He’s gotten stronger in the weight room, so he’s playing with more power. It’s like a cheat code to have him right now for us. So we’re very fortunate.”
Hyppolite’s return to Maryland wasn’t set in stone. He graduated in May with a bachelor’s in communications and could have entered the NFL draft, but chose to spend another year refining his skills.
“I’m not in a rush to get to the next level,” he said. “Timing is everything, and I just feel like being developed is one of the most precious things that can happen to a football player or athlete in general. The NFL is a very elite league, and I want to be the most prepared going into it. However long it takes, I’m not worried, and I’m not rushing.
When the time comes, I’ll be ready to go and play at a high level.”
That self-awareness is one of the reasons Hyppolite is sometimes called “Dad” by his teammates.
Senior safety Dante Trader Jr. said Hyppolite carries himself like a father seeking what is best for the entire team — even if that means some constructive criticism.
“A lot of people don’t like to invest in people who are going to waste your time, but Ruben doesn’t care,” said Trader, a McDonogh graduate. “He knows that if it’s for a higher purpose, whether you’re listening or not, he’s going to say it. He’s always going to do the right thing regardless of how that person receives it. He’s always going to hold kids accountable.”
Hyppolite credited his ability to communicate with his teammates to growing up in Florida in a house with his younger sister Nicolyn, his mother Laquinta and his grandmother. But he said he is mindful of crossing boundaries when he counsels teammates.
“I’m not a coach,” he emphasized.
“But I feel like I know my guys, and I know how to talk to them. I can’t talk to Dante the way I talk to [redshirt senior safety] Glendon [Miller], for example.
So I know how to weave in and out and circulate through the madness, through the tension. It’s all about knowing my guys, and I really take pride in doing that.
… I just know my guys and what makes them go.”
Hyppolite has been a model for younger linebackers such as junior Caleb Wheatland.
“I’ve learned how to control your emotions better, how to be able to lead by example, how you don’t always have to be vocal,” he said. “And just how to be an overall good teammate that everyone can lean on.”
Hyppolite acknowledged that the season is an opportunity for him to build on last year’s numbers and shatter any doubts among NFL scouts.
“I feel like I’m one of a kind at this position,” he said. “I might not have the size that people drool over, but I think I have the speed that not a lot of backers have in college football. I think my ability to dissect plays and my ability to go make a play is second to none. I think I can compete with the best of them.”
With seven starters returning on defense, Terps coach Mike Locksley said the team might have to lean on that unit in the early stages of the season, especially as the coaches try to figure out who will succeed former quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the Big Ten’s all-time leader in passing yards.
The defense has plenty of standouts in Trader, redshirt senior defensive end Quashon Fuller and senior defensive end Donnell Brown. But Hyppolite understands his contributions to that side of the ball.
“I have to be a sparkplug,” he said. “I have to set the standard and set the tempo. If you come to a game and you see that the energy is not good on the defense, that’s on me. I have to be the one to set it. That’s just how it is. It’s no pressure. It’s what I signed up for. It’s about getting everybody lined up, it’s about alerting people what’s coming especially on the back end, and I’ve got to do it all in under two seconds. Yeah, there’s a lot on my plate, but I’m trying to eat right, and there’s a lot of good food out there for me to eat.”
He demonstrated that speed when the No. 4 jersey became available.
Shortly after cornerback Tarheeb Still informed the coaching staff that he intended to opt out of the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, Hyppolite asked to switch from the No. 11 he had worn for his first three seasons for the No. 4 that Still had donned.
Eight months later, Hyppolite acknowledged the suddenness of his request.
“When I actually changed it, a lot of the guys and the staff, they were doing double takes,” he said with a grin. “I just wanted to get right to it. To me, a bowl game is the start of a new season, and I just wanted to pop out with it and get people used to seeing it.”
The rationale behind the switch wasn’t frivolous.
In recent years, defensive stars such as cornerback Will Likely, safety Darnell Savage (currently with the Jacksonville Jaguars), linebacker Keandre Jones (Washington Commanders) and Still (Los Angeles Chargers) wore No. 4, and Hyppolite sought to maintain that legacy.
“It’s a great history with this number,” he said. “A lot of great guys have worn this number, specifically on defense. So I just , , wanted to be a part of that group.”
By some accounts, the 6-foot, 232-pound Hyppolite has already extended that tradition. Last season, he totaled a career-high 66 tackles and was recognized as a third-team All-Big Ten linebacker, joining Still as the only Terps defensive players who earned a spot on either the first, second or third teams. Perhaps the scary part for opposing offenses is that Hyppolite, a fifth-year senior, is continuing to improve, according to defensive coordinator Brian Williams.
“He’s seeing things a lot better, and he knows how and when to utilize his speed,” he said. “He’s gotten stronger in the weight room, so he’s playing with more power. It’s like a cheat code to have him right now for us. So we’re very fortunate.”
Hyppolite’s return to Maryland wasn’t set in stone. He graduated in May with a bachelor’s in communications and could have entered the NFL draft, but chose to spend another year refining his skills.
“I’m not in a rush to get to the next level,” he said. “Timing is everything, and I just feel like being developed is one of the most precious things that can happen to a football player or athlete in general. The NFL is a very elite league, and I want to be the most prepared going into it. However long it takes, I’m not worried, and I’m not rushing.
When the time comes, I’ll be ready to go and play at a high level.”
That self-awareness is one of the reasons Hyppolite is sometimes called “Dad” by his teammates.
Senior safety Dante Trader Jr. said Hyppolite carries himself like a father seeking what is best for the entire team — even if that means some constructive criticism.
“A lot of people don’t like to invest in people who are going to waste your time, but Ruben doesn’t care,” said Trader, a McDonogh graduate. “He knows that if it’s for a higher purpose, whether you’re listening or not, he’s going to say it. He’s always going to do the right thing regardless of how that person receives it. He’s always going to hold kids accountable.”
Hyppolite credited his ability to communicate with his teammates to growing up in Florida in a house with his younger sister Nicolyn, his mother Laquinta and his grandmother. But he said he is mindful of crossing boundaries when he counsels teammates.
“I’m not a coach,” he emphasized.
“But I feel like I know my guys, and I know how to talk to them. I can’t talk to Dante the way I talk to [redshirt senior safety] Glendon [Miller], for example.
So I know how to weave in and out and circulate through the madness, through the tension. It’s all about knowing my guys, and I really take pride in doing that.
… I just know my guys and what makes them go.”
Hyppolite has been a model for younger linebackers such as junior Caleb Wheatland.
“I’ve learned how to control your emotions better, how to be able to lead by example, how you don’t always have to be vocal,” he said. “And just how to be an overall good teammate that everyone can lean on.”
Hyppolite acknowledged that the season is an opportunity for him to build on last year’s numbers and shatter any doubts among NFL scouts.
“I feel like I’m one of a kind at this position,” he said. “I might not have the size that people drool over, but I think I have the speed that not a lot of backers have in college football. I think my ability to dissect plays and my ability to go make a play is second to none. I think I can compete with the best of them.”
With seven starters returning on defense, Terps coach Mike Locksley said the team might have to lean on that unit in the early stages of the season, especially as the coaches try to figure out who will succeed former quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the Big Ten’s all-time leader in passing yards.
The defense has plenty of standouts in Trader, redshirt senior defensive end Quashon Fuller and senior defensive end Donnell Brown. But Hyppolite understands his contributions to that side of the ball.
“I have to be a sparkplug,” he said. “I have to set the standard and set the tempo. If you come to a game and you see that the energy is not good on the defense, that’s on me. I have to be the one to set it. That’s just how it is. It’s no pressure. It’s what I signed up for. It’s about getting everybody lined up, it’s about alerting people what’s coming especially on the back end, and I’ve got to do it all in under two seconds. Yeah, there’s a lot on my plate, but I’m trying to eat right, and there’s a lot of good food out there for me to eat.”
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