Maryland will shift its attention toward the Music City Bowl as they prepare to face Auburn on Dec. 30. While the middle of the 2023 season marked a stretch of ‘what-ifs’ for Maryland, head coach Mike Locksley watched his team secure a third consecutive winning season, the first time the program has done so in 15 years. While a handful of players have already announced their departures while veteran cornerback Tarheeb Still has announced that he’ll prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft, we take a look at who wins the season awards for the Terrapins’ season.
Team MVP & Offensive Player of the Year: Taulia Tagovailoa
Maryland’s all-time leading passer became the Big Ten’s top quarterback in passing yards in 2023. Taulia saved his best for last in 2023, starting all 12 games and leading Maryland to a third straight bowl appearance, the first time since 2006-08. After announcing he would be playing in the bowl game, Taulia gets one more game to put the finishing touches on a career that has been everything Maryland fans hoped it would be. Taulia finished as a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023 following a 3377 yards, 25-touchdown season, while completing 66% of his passes. He added another five touchdowns on the ground. His best game came against Indiana when he passed for 352 yards and five touchdowns, with another one rushing. It wasn’t a perfect season, as Taulia and Maryland did have their struggles, but he is the main reason why there was excitement in College Park again.
Defensive Player of the Year: Beau Brade
Similar to Taulia, Brade was one of the big dogs on Maryland’s roster in 2023. He led the team in tackles for the second straight season, knocked down six passes, forced a fumble, and picked off a pass. Brade’s leadership off the field was just as important as when he was on it. His presence was missed in the Virginia game, which led to some struggles defending the pass and the Cavaliers receivers making some plays down the field. Brade has been equally distractive in the run and pass since taking over the starting strong safety role in 2022. Following the season, he was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, recently being named a top 50 prospect by ESPN.
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Braeden Wisloski
Wisloski only caught one pass in 2023, but he showed off his playmaking ability in the return game. He returned 15 kicks for 353 yards and a 98-yard touchdown against Virginia that started Maryland’s comeback from a 14-0 deficit. Wisloski had other returns that gave Maryland a great starting field position and made teams afraid to kick to him. He’ll be a playmaker to keep an eye on as his career goes on.
Defensive Freshman of the Year: DL Jordan Phillips
Phillips transferred from Tennessee in 2023 in the hopes that he would provide an immediate impact as a redshirt freshman. He proved to be that and then some, recording a stat in all but one game in 2023 and was a force in the run game. On the season Phillips recorded 27 tackles, with 1.5 tackles for loss and a QB hit. He should grow as a problem in the middle of the line as his development continues.
Best Transfer: WR Kaden Prather
Prather transferred from West Virginia to help rebuild a receiving core that lost three of their top guys from 2022. Prather took one of the starting spots right away and finished as the Terps’ third-leading receiver. He finished with 41 catches for 609 yards and five touchdowns. Throughout the season, Prather was a little bit of a highlight reel, making speculator catches at critical times. While he didn’t go for over 100 yards in any games this year, his impact on the field was not forgotten. Going into 2024, Prather will be one of the top targets for whoever is the quarterback. Linebacker Donnell Brown and offensive linemen Corey Bullock and Gottlieb Ayedze all make a strong case as each filled key roles for the Terps through the 2023 season, but Prather lived up to the hype through conference play.
Breakout Player: WR Tai Felton
Maryland thought they got themselves a hidden gem when they signed Felton in 2021. This year, he started to show why the Terps were happy to get him. Felton was third on the team in catches, second in yards, and led them in touchdowns. His breakout game came against Indiana when he caught seven passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns. He added another 100-yard performance against Rutgers, helping the Terps reach seven wins for the third year in a row. Felton and Prather might have a competition in 2024 to see who will be called the number one receiving option.
Best Play: Kaden Prather’s diving catch vs. Nebraska
It was mentioned that Prather made some great catches during the season and this was the best of the butch. Maryland was facing a 3rd-and-16 from the 50 while scoreless in the first quarter. Lia threw the ball wide to Prather, who reached out as far as he could to make the catch. It was a play that was made on pure effort that gained 17 yards and a first down at the 33. While it didn’t lead to any points, it was still an amazing catch that showed everyone the talent and hands that Prather possesses. Hopefully, Maryland fans will see more of that in 2024.
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