Five potential Maryland football stock risers heading into spring ball

Maryland was able to retain the bulk of its core players in 2024 as linebacker Ruben Hyppolite and defensive lineman Quashon Fuller announced returns while Roman Hemby, Kaden Prather, Tai Felton, Dante Trader Jr., Kellan Wyatt and Donnell Brown are among the players expected to lead the team into next season. But Maryland will also turn to new faces to step in and fill starting roles as head coach Mike Locksley and the staff embrace the spring competition and open quarterback battle. But who are the five players with the most to gain with player-run practices starting back up and roughly two months before spring ball? We delve into our candidates:

QB Cam Edge

After entering the bowl game just 2-of-3 for 18 yards on the season, Edge was able to step in immediately and flash his strong arm on his very first rep against the Tigers’ defense. His first pass of the day ended with a 57-yard completion to Kaden Prather, hitting him in-stride, before finding Dylan Wade in the endzone for his first career touchdown. The bowl game was a chance for both Edge and Billy Edwards Jr. to showcase themselves as potential starters across a larger sample size, and for Edge, he took advantage of his reps. NC State transfer MJ Morris has been with the program since late December, taking reps during the second day of bowl practice at Ensworth High School, as he learns the new offense with the tools displayed to take full control over the offense. Billy Edwards Jr. has the support and confidence to challenge for the starting job after taking the opening snap during the bowl game. But if there’s someone with the most to gain this spring, it’s Edge as he works to battle for the starting job and at least primary backup duties. Edwards Jr. was the primary backup behind Taulia Tagovailoa through the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but Edge’s tools and grasp of the offense give him ammo to take the next step under Josh Gattis and Mike Locksley.

Still can’t get over that this was Cam Edge’s first pass of the day. Hit KP in stride, a beauty of a ball pic.twitter.com/4S9slkULOs

— Ahmed Ghafir (@ghafirtheturtle) December 31, 2023

WR Shaleak Knotts

For arguably the first time in years, Maryland doesn’t have all the answers at wide receiver. They do have a big piece to the puzzle already in the fold with Kaden Prather and Tai Felton proving themselves as dynamic starters with big-play ability. The question is now, can someone emerge alongside them? Octavian Smith was also a strong candidate and he’ll get a chance to fill the role as the shifty receiver out of the slot, but Smith has shown flashes in his first two seasons with the program. The jury is still out on Knotts as the North Carolina native stands the most to gain with a more open receiver room. Knotts has the size to give Maryland a downfield threat as he works on consistency, looking to add to his toolbox and maximize his potential in Maryland’s offense heading into the spring.

The tight end room will become a focal point of the offense with ample confidence that Preston Howard and Dylan Wade can become dynamic receiving threats like they showed flashes of in 2023, with Howard posting 160 yards on 13 catches to Wade’s four catches for two touchdowns. But with the next wave of receivers coming along, former four-star Shaleak Knotts will have get a chance to showcase himself as an impact player. Knotts finished with 55 yards on seven catches and became a bigger part of the rotation toward the end of the season, drawing one catch on two targets and 36 snaps.

LB Caleb Wheatland

Maryland lost both Fa’Najae Gotay and Gereme Spraggins, while Jaishawn Barham made the in-conference transfer to Michigan this offseason, yet the inside linebacker room could remain a position of strength. After finishing second on the team with 66 total tackles, linebacker Ruben Hyppolite announced his return for another season to give the Terps a clear leader on and off the field while also getting a chance to boost his NFL profile. With Hyppolite getting a chance to take over the MIKE, Wheatland stands in front of an opportunity to step into a starting role. The Virginia native was one of four players to register at least five TFLs in 2023 and after gradually elevating in his role despite a veteran room, Wheatland will have a chance to showcase himself as an every down linebacker to round out an experienced linebacker room for Maryland.

Behind Wheatland, freshmen duo Daniel Wingate and Mike Harris both burned their redshirts in 2023 and will take the next step grasping the defense to become integral pieces in the rotation. Keyari James took in bowl prep along the sidelines and has enrolled with the program, while instinctive linebacker Keyshawn Flowers heads to College Park in June.

LB Neeo Avery

The prize of the 2023 class, former four-star Neeo Avery ended up missing the entirety of his true freshman season after rehabbing a lower leg to begin his college career. Avery’s consistent injury designation through the 2023 season left the door open for a possible return with slight aspirations he’d be available at some point during conference play as he began taking practice reps in the closing weeks of the season. Avery also traveled with the team for the bowl game and practiced off to the side as he worked his way back, but ahead of the spring, Maryland is expected to get its edge rusher back in the fold. There’s never been a question whether Avery would make an impact in the pass rush once he was available.

“He is an impact player from day one, for sure. We just don’t know what day one is,” head coach Mike Locksley said back in September. “We’re still waiting to find out when day one is, but there’s no doubt that he has that ability to be an impact player, especially in some of the areas that we need help, which is rushing the passer. And, as soon as he’s ready and available, I would imagine he would become an impact player.”

Maryland returns Kellan Wyatt and Donnell Brown in 2024, both pieces who proved themselves as effective pass rushers, and the imminent debut of Avery adds to the firepower under assistant James Thomas. Avery’s recruitment hit another level once he made the move from quarterback to defensive end at Good Counsel, showing off his quick twitch and lower body strength as a 6-foot-5 prospect. For a program that struggled to generate pressure off the edge in the early years of the Big Ten, the looming debut of Neeo Avery bolsters what could be a dynamic outside linebacker room in 2024.

CB Perry Fisher

No position was hit harder this offseason than the cornerback room with 2024 serving as a near-fresh start at the position. Maryland loses four cornerbacks who largely controlled the rotation in 2024 as Lionell Whitaker is the lone returning upperclassman, while the staff signed former Bowling Green cornerback Jalen Huskey last month to help fill one starting role. The spring will give new position coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim a chance to get a closer feel for his unit, but if there’s a player who boosted his stock from the bowl game, it’s Fisher, who posted three tackles, one sack and two pass breakups against Auburn. After making the position switch from receiver to cornerback upon arrival then spending time learning the technique at the position, the athletic cornerback showed his first sign of putting two seasons of coaching together. Now he has a chance to build on it with a potential breakthrough easing concerns about adding another cornerback following spring ball. Kevis Thomas is another who burned through his redshirt and has a chance to become an integral piece to round out the rotation in 2024, while speedsters Jonathan Akins and Mykel Morman carve out roles for themselves as potential nickel corners. Fisher, though, has a chance to become a key name for Maryland’s defense in 2024.

May 18, 2024