ORONO – For now, Levi Ervin is starting all over again.

After shining as a two-way star for the Lisbon Greyhounds last year, the Sun Journal Football Player of the Year is learning the ropes again.

“This is a great experience,” Ervin said following football practice with the University of Maine. “The pace and tempo is so much faster. It’s high level football.”

Ervin is on the third team on the Black Bears’ depth chart, but he’s already seen time with the second team during preseason scrimmages.

“Levi is making great progress,” Maine coach Jack Cosgrove said. “He’s way ahead of schedule. For him to come in and start to dent the two-deep at this point in his college career is ahead of schedule for him. He’s taken very well to our defense and learning our defense.”

Ervin says he’s just trying to take it all in at the moment. He’s got a pair of seniors ahead of him, and he’s just trying to learn from them and get acclimated.

“As we go, I’m starting to get more comfortable,” Ervin said. “The hard part was learning all the different plays. It’s so much different than high school. After you learn the plays, you’re going from the bigger things to the smaller things like technique.”

At this point, he’s focusing on little things and trying to break himself of any bad habits that might hold him back. In high school, he was not only a tough defender in the secondary, but was also a bruising runner and dangerous receiver for the Greyhounds.

Playing only defense allows him to specialize, even though sometimes he can’t help but keep track of what the offense is doing.

“It’s good because I have to concentrate more on the defense,” Ervin said. “You’ve got to stick to what you know. You’ve got to learn. You have to think so much faster and keep your mind sharp.”

Cosgrove says he sees a very promising future for Ervin.

“We thought he was a heck of an athlete coming in, but he’s really matched up well with what we think is a very fast football team,” Cosgrove said. “He has an understanding that’s further advanced than we thought it might be, and most importantly, he knows how to practice. He really works hard. All of that wrapped together, has moved him along faster. He has a chance to play football for us this year. He really does. By no means is he out of place.”

Jordan Stevens may also begin making a name for himself with the Black Bears. The former Mt. Blue linebacker and running back joined Maine after a year at Bridgton Academy.

“Obviously, Jordan Stevens, with a year of prep school is a little further advanced than a regular high school kid coming out,” said Cosgrove. “We had anticipated that coming in. He has really measured up to those expectations. He’s done a great job. He’s getting a lot of time on the field with our second group. He’s taken to it. He’s responded mentally and physically.”

Not recruited out of high school, Stevens opted for Bridgton Academy, where he played middle linebacker and back. He hoped that might lead to an opportunity at another level, especially Maine.

“That was one of my goals,” Stevens said. “It made me a better football player, definitely, going in there and playing the competition we played at, but here is still a lot different from there.”

Stevens is still getting accustomed to the faster pace and greater workload.

As the preseason has advanced, Stevens understands what his responsibilities are and what he must expect of himself.

“I’m just working hard right now,” he said. “Playing-wise, I’ll leave that up to the coaches and see what will happen there. I’m just preparing and getting ready.”

Whether he’s used at linebacker or at special teams, Cosgrove expects Stevens to get his share of action over the course of a long season.

“He definitely can help us win football games this year,” said Cosgrove. “There’s no question that we’re going to be counting on him more as the season goes along.”

Other locals looking to crack the lineup is offensive lineman Jacob Folz and defensive lineman Jonathan Pirruccello.

Folz, a former all-star at Oxford Hills, saw action in three games last year, including the season opener at Nebraska. Pirruccello, a former all-star at Leavitt, saw action in five games last year as a true freshman.

Cosgrove says building up depth and giving players more experience is critical.

“Sometimes the worse case scenario comes before the best case,” said Cosgrove. “So it is really important that we continue to drive forward and develop more and more football players. I like the talent level that we have. We’ve got a lot of guys that can help us be successful. We’ve got to get some of them some game experience.”