DeJuan Williams ready to showcase his "explosiveness" in Maryland football's 2026 offense

Ahmed Ghafir
2 days ago
3 min read

The passing attack has remained a constant during Mike Locksley’s tenure in College Park, but just like 2025, the offseason focus ahead of the 2026 regular season was for the staff to figure out how to run the ball.

Locksley immediately pointed to quarterback Malik Washington’s ability to impact the ground game, but for a sustainable rushing attack, the running back room will have to find the answer this fall. The good news is that unit drew praise in August after Locksley pointed to the running back room as one that has caught his eye between DeJuan Williams, Iverson Howard and Harry Dalton anchoring the rotation.

“All three of those guys together have really given me some hope that the running game, which we made an emphasis on, will show up the way we need it to show up,” Locksley said during fall camp.

“All three of us can catch out of the backfield, we all have the same type of play style,” Williams told IBG.

While Iverson Howard has drawn praise from several teammates after the Quince Orchard native showed signs of being capable of a bigger role in the rotation, DeJuan Williams also enters the fall with a chance to prove himself as an all-purpose back.

The former four-star arrived in College Park recovering from a torn ACL that derailed his senior season at St. Frances, leading Williams to appear in only three games in 2024 where he totaled 46 yards and one touchdown on eight carries. Yet 2025 offered a chance to build on that after a full offseason to battle back to full strength as Williams led the team with 501 rushing yards, averaging 3.9 yards per carry, along with setting a program record and leading the Big Ten with 45 catches and 426 receiving yards.

“I always knew I could catch the ball out of the backfield. Growing up as a kid, I always played catch with my dad so he always told me I always had the hands, I can catch. I was always good at catching, and being a two-way playmaker is not just running the ball. I can go out in the slot, go outside, I can run every route in the route tree,” Williams said.

Locksley noted it takes a “true 18 months” to return to full strength on the field after noting he saw “the explosiveness back” out of Williams through fall camp. Williams added that building his quad strength was an area of focus this offseason as he feel “more explosive, more fast” ahead of year three, but the chance to become a versatile piece under new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett also looms large.

The chance to tap into Williams as a pass catcher in Trickett’s spread offense adds another weapon at quarterback Malik Washington’s disposal.

“Trickett, he has a lot of good plays in his playbook. It definitely fits my type of play style. He has me doing a lot of motion, a lot of moving around in the backfield, not just having me in the backfield but go out in the slot, go outside at times as well. Having Trickett will help me be the best person that I can be.”

After showing signs that the run game can take a step forward, Maryland will have to prove it when the regular season begins as Locksley noted establishing the run was one of three takeaways he wants to see out of Saturday’s opener. Yet weeks after offensive linemen Michael Hershey and Rahtrel Perry pointed to the unit’s emphasis on improving run blocking, Williams pointed to the development in the trenches as reason for confidence.

“They were big on the run game all offseason. The running backs, we met with them all offseason. We watch film together, we talk, we spent a lot of hours together just building a bond together and working on the run game. It played out in fall camp so hopefully we can see it this fall.”

Heading into a make-or-break season, Williams and the offense will look for the pieces to gel in hopes of bringing his hometown program back to postseason play for the first time in three seasons.

“It wasn’t hard to come back. I love to play here in my home state. I want to win here. There’s a lot of doubters, of course, but I want to win.”

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