After breaking down the quarterbacks and running backs, we break down the wide receiver and tight end rooms for Maryland heading into 2024. Roster breakdown WR: Tai Felton, Kaden Prather, Octavian Smith, Shaleak Knotts, Braeden Wisloski, Ryan Manning, Josh Richards, Sean Williams, Ezekiel Avit, Jahmari Powell-Wonson, Mekhai White TE: Leon Haughton, Leron Husbands, Preston Howard, A.J. Szymanski, Dylan Wade What to know: The wide receivers have benefitted from a veteran room in recent years, and in the 2024, the unit is led yet again by veterans, this time in duo Tai Felton and Kaden Prather. The DMV natives themselves among the most explosive wideouts in the conference in 2023 and their perfect blend of size and speed makes them the alpha dogs in the room again. While Felton enters the fall as one of the fastest athletes in the conference with big-play ability, Prather’s big frame has made him an outside mismatch. The duo has routinely been praised for their leadership on and off the field through the offseason, and with a big year, they could very likely become the next Terps to hear their names called at the podium next April. Behind Felton and Prather, Maryland will turn to its second and third-year players to step into increased roles in 2024. That starts with Shaleak Knotts, who saw his snaps drastically increase over the final month of the season. While Nolan Ray rightfully commanded the bulk of the attention among the newer faces, Knotts was also cited among the offensive players who capitalized on their reps through spring ball. The hope is that the former four-star becomes the breakout player among the receivers, while Octavian Smith has shown flashes as an electric wideout through his first two seasons. Octavian Smith and Braeden Wisloski offer elite quickness and good vision out of the slot, giving the offense a chance to find new playmakers this season. Ryan Manning, meanwhile, is a frequent attendee for offseason workouts where the smooth wideout flashed in the spring with a handful of strong catches in traffic. Mekhai White, meanwhile, has leaned on Prather through the offseason to hit the ground running ahead of year one while Jahmari Powell-Wonson arrived in June to begin his college career. At tight end, Dylan Wade is coming off a productive summer proving himself capable of an elevated role in the passing attack, while now-veteran Preston Howard has stepped up to assume a leadership position both within the room and the offense. The duo gives the tight end plenty of confidence that they’ll remain integral parts of the passing attack, but they may not be alone. Leon Haughton made the transition from wide receiver to tight end where he proved himself as a natural fit at the position as he dialed into refining the technique and details that come with his new role. But at 6-foot-4 and like Prather, a big-bodied threat, he can provide depth as a receiving threat through conference play. Meanwhile, Leron Husbands has only appeared in one game in three seasons after battling injuries, but he’s remained healthy through summer workouts to potentially insert himself into the rotation. But while the offense has an abundance of receiving threats in the room, the need for a blocking tight end remains strong as second-year tight end AJ Szymanski, who did well adding mass to his 6-foot-5 frame heading into the spring, prepares to be the primary option to fill that role. While Prather and Felton have continued to set the standard in the wide receiver room, there’s ample confidence in the young, yet potentially deep tight end room with Husbands finding a role in 2024. Biggest question: how do the WRs/TEs adjust with a new quarterback under center? The million-dollar question. With Billy Edwards Jr., MJ Morris and Cam Edge battling it out for starting duties heading into fall camp beginning July 31, how does the receiver room adjust? Do the tight ends like Howard and Wade become bigger targets as the new quarterback’s best friend? Will Kaden Prather still stretch the field to give the offense a vertical threat? Do the speedsters like Felton, Wisloski and Octavian Smith capitalize with the ball in space? The wide receiver room has largely been diligent about getting extra reps inside Jones-Hill House through the offseason, but with the offense eyeing more balance between the run and pass game this season, getting the skill players in space and capitalizing on the YAC could drive the passing attack in 2024. Related Links
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