Maryland football head coach Mike Locksley will head to Chicago next week for Big Ten media days with wide receiver Tai Felton, defensive lineman Jordan Phillips and linebacker Ruben Hyppolite set to represent the program on Thursday, July 25. With the college football season quickly approaching, ESPN’s Bill Connelly unveiled his 2024 Big Ten preview based on its preseason SP+ rankings, where the Terps ranked tenth in the Big Ten and 44th overall. ESPN projected a 75.4% chance that Maryland reaches a bowl game despite projecting a 0.3% chance to win the conference and 0.1% chance to reach 11 wins. Maryland will look to secure bowl eligibility for the fourth time in as many seasons, marking the first time the program has done so. While Maryland returns over half of its production from last season – which ranks 102nd among FBS teams – Connelly also pointed to veteran safety Glen Miller as his favorite player on this year’s roster, citing “the Terps need a couple of new stars in the secondary, but they definitely have at least one.” The Florida native is expected to step into a starting role after becoming an integral piece to the safety rotation over the last two seasons, playing behind now-Ravens safety Beau Brade. Miller excelled inside the box last fall and made a name for himself as a bone-crushing defender, evidenced by his tackle behind the line of scrimmage in the week three win vs. Virginia. While Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and Penn State were tabbed as the conference title and/or CFB contenders, Maryland was one of eight teams that Connelly tabbed as “just looking for a path to 6-6”: Skinny: Maryland just fielded its best pair of teams since 2002-03; Mike Locksley's Terrapins finished 27th in SP+ in 2022, then jumped to 21st in 2023. They were 8-0 in nonconference games and bowls, and within the Big Ten they were a solid 8-4 against teams not named Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State. They even gave Michigan hell twice, losing by a touchdown both years. But they were still 0-6 against the Big Ten East's big three, and these two stellar teams ended up 8-5 both years. In 2024, no longer stuck in the East division, the Terps face another painfully weak nonconference slate and won't play a projected top-70 team until mid-October. They avoid both Ohio State and Michigan (though they do add Oregon). With another top-30ish team, they would have a shot at 10 wins. But quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and almost his entire offensive line are gone, as are four of the six primary members of a stellar secondary. Locksley barely dipped into the portal, adding just six newcomers. He appears confident in what he's building, but this feels like a reset year before another potential rise in 2025.In two years with Brian Williams as coordinator, Maryland's D improved from 46th to 28th to 11th in defensive SP+; the secondary was a big reason for that and could be again if Bowling Green cornerback transfer Jalen Huskey (four INTs, seven PBUs, 22.9 QBR allowed) clicks next to safety Dante Trader and slot corner Glendon Miller. The defensive front will be anchored by a pair of 320-pounders (sophomore Jordan Phillips, senior Tommy Akingbesote), and while the linebacking corps thinned out a bit, it returns disruptive juniors in OLB Kellan Wyatt and ILB Caleb Wheatland. Tagovailoa's extreme efficiency was vital to Maryland's success last year because the run game was mostly inefficient. Two of three primary wideouts (Tai Felton and Kaden Prather) return, as does running back Roman Hemby, who made up for inefficient rushing with strong pass-catching out of the backfield. But either sophomore transfer MJ Morris (NC State) or junior Billy Edwards Jr. has huge shoes to fill behind center, and neither was even remotely efficient in a small sample last season. The offensive line returns only two part-time starters, and four of the team's six transfers are O-linemen. At least a couple of them need to stick in the lineup immediately. The Terps' defense should be fine, but it feels like the offense is going to struggle. Related Links
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