The following story is reprinted without
changes and with permission from the author
and organization. The original story ran
February 4, 2014. It is based on an interview
with Damian Prince the day before he signed
his collegiate National Letter of Intent to the
University of Maryland.
For the past six months, Damian Prince has
fielded some version of the same question
more than a thousand times, inquiries from
mostly strangers who all seem to have an
opinion on where the McNamara senior
should spend the next four years of his life.
But for as rare as Prince’s blend of size
and skills is, making him the nation’s top
uncommitted offensive
lineman, the 17-yearold’s path to football
stardom is even more
unique, beginning with
the murder of his father
and shaken by the death
of a great-grandfather
who also served as his
guardian.
On Wednesday, Prince’s
journey will culminate
when he joins hundreds
of area players and
thousands
nationwide
who will take part in the 24-hour frenzy
of National Signing Day, the first date that
seniors are allowed to sign a national letter
of intent to play college football.
Prince, a Parade All-American, is expected
to choose between Florida and Maryland
around 10 a.m. on ESPNU. The vast
majority of the area’s other college-bound
players, such as Woodbridge’s Da’Shawn
Hand (Alabama), Lake Braddock’s Caleb
Henderson (North Carolina), Good
Counsel’s Sam Mustipher (Notre Dame),
DeMatha’s Brock Ruble (Florida State)
and St. John’s’ Will Ulmer (Maryland),
already have committed to their school of
choice.
Throughout the process of whittling down
more than 40 scholarships with coaches
and fans beckoning for his services at each
turn, there is one voice Prince wishes to
hear above the rest.
24
“If my great-grandfather was here, I feel
like this decision would be a lot easier,”
Prince said. “It’s hard to talk about such
THE MUSTANG MESSENGER
a big decision to people who don’t really
understand you.”
In December 1995, four months before
Prince was born, his father, also named
Damian, was shot and killed in Southeast
D.C. The circumstances surrounding his
murder remain unclear and no arrests were
ever made.
Initially, Prince’s mother, LaKeyia
Chappell, did her best to expose her only
son to strong male influences. But as the
single mother struggled to support four
children, Chappell eventually talked with
Prince’s great-grandparents, Willie and
Jean Prince, about having her youngest
But the quality drive time with Prince
disappeared on the evening of Nov. 28,
2011. That night, Willie Prince pulled over
to help a stranded motorist jumpstart his
car. As Willie made his way back across
the street, an oncoming vehicle struck the
78-year-old. He was pronounced dead at
the hospital.
Prince was at home playing video games
when he heard the news.
“When my neighbor said there was an
ambulance by his car, we thought either he
was hurt or he was in there with somebody
else because he was always helping people,”
Prince said. “Once we found out what
happened, I couldn’t
believe it. All of a sudden