Maryland football’s expectations on offense have only grown with a stronger receiving core catching passes from quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, now a veteran fresh off his record-setting season. While the Terps’ depth at receiver was heavily tested last season, a big reason for Tagovailoa’s success in 2021 was credited to the offensive line and with Jaelyn Duncan, Spencer Anderson and Johari Branch all back for another season in College Park, the Terps have even more ammo in the trenches heading into next fall.
Brian Braswell enters his second year as Maryland’s offensive line coach for the Terps, has been praised inside the program for his development after taking a hands-on approach during the 2020 COVID season before taking over as the full-time position coach. Braswell was the assistant offensive line and quality control coach for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, so he has brought that NFL expertise to Maryland football and has immediately made an impact. His NFL experience also fostered the relationship between he and longtime Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander, who helped pave the way for Maryland to land 2022 offensive tackle Liridon Mujezinovic.
Braswell’s development in College Park hasn’t gone unnoticed but with Duncan, Anderson and Branch all eligible to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft, Braswell added he “tried to stay out of those decisions and make sure that those guys make the best decisions for themselves.” “These decisions have spoken volumes to what coach Locksley has done for this Maryland team,” Braswell said.
Maryland will look to build on last season’s success, but sometimes the offensive line’s efficiency is easier to analyze when delving into quarterback play. Head coach Mike Locksley went on record this week to say Tagovailoa played "one bad quarter, threw five interceptions in one quarter." Other than that? "He played big-time football for us."
Maryland is coming off a season where the offensive finished with a top-15 passing offense in the country, according to Pro Football Focus, while Tagovailoa set single-season in passing yards, completions, completion percentage and 300-yard passing games. Braswell praised the relationship that Maryland star quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has with his offensive line and attributed it heavily to how last season went and all of the accolades that came along with both the Terps QB and offensive line.
“During the season, Taulia would bring the guys donuts and that little small donut goes a small way for these guys,” Braswell said. “We have to make sure that we do everything we can to protect this guy because he has looked out for us.” It’s safe to say that over this next year, the connection with Taulia and the trench upfront will only gain better trust with each other. Maryland tweaked its offensive line ahead of the Penn State game, inserting DJ Glaze at right tackle and shifting Spencer Anderson inside with freshman Aric Harris still acclimating to Big Ten play. Braswell added that Harris “has really put in the work needed” after improving his conditioning last fall into the offseason. “He didn't have the necessary time needed to learn all of it at that time. He has really bought into it,” Braswell added. “He's in my office right now trying to improve what he did last year.”
There’s still room to improve and Braswell knows the spring is a chance for his unit to hone in once again on the fundamentals. Pre-snap penalities on both sides of the trenches were an Achilles heel for Maryland through conference play and the two areas that Braswell harped on were pre-snap penalties and versatility within his offensive line. “We have to earn that in practice, not jumping offside and just locking into exactly what we need to do,” he added. “Most pre-snap penalties come from lack of focus at that specific time and for our guys we are going to need to do that more in practice.” Braswell preached the depth that the Terps have for this season, meaning reps are earned and not guaranteed as the unit looks to trim the mishaps.
With this depth and talent on the offensive line, Braswell wants his players to be more versatile, but for now, Braswell wants his guys up front to “find that sweet spot”. Players like Spencer Anderson can play all five positions, according to Braswell, but he knows that not all of his players are at that level just yet. Spring gives the unit the chance to elevate the talent level as they look to take the next step.
“Competition brings out the best in everyone. Although we were moving parts last year when guys weren't doing exactly what we wanted to do how we wanted to do it, with the depth that we have now with those guys coming back, they know what we expect, they know how to do it and now it's 'ok if we don't do it, it's next man in there.' And that goes for all of them.”