Maryland’s offense bolstered a veteran quarterback with a deep wide receiver room heading into the 2022 season, but what solidified confidence was the returning experience along the offensive line. Fast forward 12 months and it’s a different picture for Maryland heading into fall camp. Jaelyn Duncan and Spencer Anderson both heard their names called during the 2023 NFL Draft, while interior lineman Johari Branch was immediately signed as a UDFA by the Los Angeles Chargers. The attrition didn’t end as the transfer bug then hit the room, first from Mason Lunsford who heads to LSU. Two months later, Coltin Deery left College Park amid a position battle before landing at TCU. That left offensive line coach Brian Braswell with work to do with four starting spots to fill heading into the fall, marking the beginning of a pivotal offseason. But just as Maryland lost talent to the portal, Maryland was dip back in to address some of those needs. Two of the incoming transfers have been penciled in as starters for the upcoming season with Gottlieb Ayedze (Frostburg State, profile here) and Corey Bullock (NC Central) filling in at right tackle and guard. Ayedze and Bullock will DJ Glaze, the lone returner from Maryland’s offensive line last season. Glaze, a former three-star out of North Carolina in the 2020 cycle, has appeared in the last 26 games for Maryland with 19 starts at both left and right tackle and graded as the second-highest pass-blocking tackle in the conference last fall. The two big questions heading into fall camp, set to begin on August 1, are at center and left guard. Mike Purcell announced his transfer to Maryland back in mid-May after initially transferring from Elon to Duke before losing the starting job in Durham. Purcell heads to Maryland with the edge to take over at center, though veteran Aric Harris will work to change that next month. Who fills Lunsford’s role at left guard? Veterans Kyle Long and Amelio Moran were the two main guys rotating at left guard battling for the spot through spring ball, while another incoming transfer in Marcus Dumervil out of LSU has also gotten reps at the left guard spot during spring practices as the staff mixed and matched its unit. Dumervil, though, gives the room experienced depth as Long and Moran jockey for the starting spot. Outside of ironing out its new starting offensive line, Maryland hasn’t been shy about rotating in its depth to maximize in-game reps and 2023 will be no different with five seniors on the roster and Glaze potentially making the jump to the NFL. With a pair of draft-eligible tackles heading into the season, Ja’Kavion Nonar and walk-on Conor Fagan worked with the second unit during spring ball where the two gave the room size, while Nonar’s year with the program has added impressive mass to his 6-foot-7 frame. Andre Roye, a former four-star out of St. Frances, is another name to watch in the room as he progresses heading into his second season. Roye drew praise for reframing his body and trimming bad weight on his 6-foot-6 frame through his first season, while in year two, he will be looking to add some more muscle mass to his frame and keep developing into the team’s future tackle. Tamarus Walker has spent the bulk of his offseason working on his transition to center as he joins the room as the future at the position. When replacing a large amount of a key unit such as an offensive line, there can be times of struggle with communication and being on the same page. As time goes on during the season, however, the issues tend to go away. The one thing this offensive line group will have going for them to battle this big question though, is experience. Four of the five starters will have plenty of experience at the college level with three of them being grad transfers or a senior. That experience can show up big when it comes to crunch time and the group will need to be on the same page early in the season.
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