With Taulia Tagovailoa now in the pros after signing a deal with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last month, Maryland football and head coach Mike Locksley will turn to a new quarterback under center in a position battle that has yet to be decided. With that, we take a look at Maryland's quarterback room heading into the 2024 season. Roster overview: R-SO MJ Morris R-JR Billy Edwards Jr. R-SO Cam Edge R-SO Jayden Sauray R-FR Champ Long FR Khristian Martin FR Roman Jensen (walk-on) What to Know: Four-year starter Taulia Tagovailoa has moved on after leading the Terps to three straight bowl appearances, and it’s been a three-way battle for the starting job. Edwards, who transferred from Wake Forest in 2022, has the most experience in Mike Locksley’s offense, starting two games between 2022-23. Cam Edge returns for his third season after playing in two games in 2023, one of which came in the bowl game. MJ Morris, meanwhile, transferred from NC State and got to work right away with understanding the offense. In his seven starts with the Wolfpack, he performed well and led them to wins in three of the four games he played in 2023. Edwards got the start in the bowl game win against Auburn, with Edge rotating in. While Edge looked to have more touch on his passes and a bigger arm, he also threw the only interception by a Terp quarterback. Edwards, meanwhile, has made plays with both his arm and legs, specifically when he scored three one-yard rushing touchdowns against Michigan last year. However, he was erratic with his throws against Auburn, completing only 6 of 20 passes. Morris might have the biggest upside of the three quarterbacks and looked the best in the spring game. He won the Most Valuable Player after completing 6 of 8 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 13-yard scramble that led to the first touchdown of the game. Edwards and Edge completed less than 50% of their passes. Heading into the fall, head coach Mike Locksley is back managing the room as he and the rest of the offensive staff finalize their starting quarterback, which is expected to be announced in the days leading up to the August 31 kickoff vs. UConn. Edwards benefits from being the most experienced quarterback in Mike Locksley's offense, a trait not overlooked during the competition, as Morris looks to become a master of Mike Locksley's offense. It's a process for the NC State transfer who has dialed into knowing the Terps' playbook and play concepts through the offseason, while Cam Edge remains the wildcard in the race after flashing his strong arm during the bowl game into spring ball. Champ Long, Khristian Martin and Jayden Sauray round out the room of scholarship quarterbacks, but it remains a question whether the starting job will go to Maryland's most experienced or newest quarterback this fall. Biggest question: Will Maryland start the same quarterback every game in 2024? The arrival of Taulia Tagovailoa ahead of the 2020 season helped to quell quarterback concerns among Maryland fans, an appreciated sentiment after consistent struggles at the position the decade prior. Now, tasked with filling his shoes, the question of whether Maryland will roll with the same starting quarterback all season is valid. Locksley made it clear what he's looking for in his next starting quarterback after the spring game gave almost the entire room a chance to showcase their growth. "We’re a long ways away from naming a starter. As you can see, the competition is, it’s hard to tell," Locksley added. "They’re all talented. They all have made some plays. They all made some mistakes but what I’ve tried to get them back in that room is them understanding every play won’t be a touchdown. And we always talk about the guy that wins the job has to have the mind of a coach, but the skill set of a player and that’s what it ultimately comes down to because as a coach, there’s down and distance situations, there’s placement of the ball in the field situations. There’s turnovers, how you react after a turnover, and I want to see those guys play quarterback. To me playing quarterback is understand the big picture, when to attack, be risk-averse and I saw some guys take steps today. All of those guys that played today took some steps forward. We’ll get to watch the film and really evaluate it. We’ll progress this competition through the summer.” Whether Maryland can create more balance on offense could alleviate the pressure on the quarterback room, but with both Edwards and Morris staring at the chance to expand on their 2023 production, all eyes will be on whether the Terps can generate consistency at the position this fall. Related Links Local ’26 defensive back planning to visit Maryland after July dead periodThree third-year players who need to shine for Maryland football in 2024Maryland football’s 2025 class now consensus top-35
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