Five newcomers who can impact Maryland football's 2025 season

Ahmed Ghafir
Jul 9
4 min read

Maryland football kicks off its 2025 season in nearly 50 days as we take a look at five newcomers, whether transfer signees or true freshmen, who are most likely to impact the 2025 season:

TE Dorian Fleming

The tight end room saw the most attrition of any unit on the offensive side of the ball, losing the top two producers from 2024 in Dylan Wade (UCF) and Preston Howard (Auburn). There hasn’t been any wavering in confidence that the room can be as impactful, if not more, in 2025 and Fleming is a big part of the reason why. The Georgia State transfer ended 2024 as a second-team All-Sun Belt selection after recording 558 yards and six touchdowns on 49 catches in 2024, joining the program with three years of eligibility left. The unit will get a pair of emerging pieces to round out the receiving dynamic in Leon Haughton and JT Taggart, but Fleming drew buzz as a potential difference maker when he arrived in January and showed signs of that coming to fruition during the 15 spring practices. The lone preseason All-Big Ten selection, Fleming is my pick to lead the team in receptions in 2025.

CB Dontay Joyner

Cornerback was the biggest need for Maryland this offseason, and was the position that was immediately addressed after signing Joyner and Jamare Glasker (Wake Forest). Though EA Sports 2026 points to ‘Kerm’ Humes as the team’s fastest player, Joyner has made his own case as one of, if not the fastest, on the entire roster where his ball skills and athleticism show signs of confidence in an upgrade at the top of the cornerback room. Joyner and Glasker are expected to step into starting roles in 2025 with Joyner, an Arkansas State transfer, proving to be a big boost in the secondary. Joyner recorded 69 tackles, nine pass deflections and a pair of interceptions in two seasons at Arkansas State while his two interceptions came against Power Four teams (Michigan, Iowa State) in 2024.

LT Rahtrel Perry

The longest portal pursuit of the 2025 offseason, Maryland beat out Ohio State, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Florida State among several others to land a portal prospect they prioritized once he became available. Perry, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound transfer from Central Connecticut State, has drawn the title as the ‘Jordan Phillips of the offense’ where he proved every bit of capable of replacing Andre Roye’s spot at left tackle. Upgrading the offensive line was a top priority this offseason and, like Carlos Moore in the spring, Perry is a big part of the 2025 solution, where the agile tackle now looks to lock down the blindside. Perry started in all 13 games and was named an All-NEC first team selection after not allowing a sack in his two games against FBS competition in 2024.

DT Eyan Thomas

While Perry has the ‘Jordan Phillips of the offense’ tag on offense, Maryland still has to replace Jordan Phillips after opting to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. Two years after signing OLB Donnell Brown, Maryland signed DT Eyan Thomas out of St. Francis (PA) where he totaled 42 tackles, nine TFLs and 3.5 sacks in 15 games across two seasons. Thomas ended his time with the program as a second-team All-NEC selection, but the buzz through the spring into summer workouts pointed to Thomas being the anchor along a revamped defensive line. And the 6-foot-4, 336-pound lineman has flashed his quick twitch and footwork to add validation to his jump to Power Four football. Maryland also signed four defensive linemen during the spring portal window with Ohio DT grad transfer Cam Rice, along with freshman DT Bryce Jenkins, expected to bolster the interior unit but 2025 could prove Thomas as the next emerging piece in the trenches.

QB Malik Washington

While all eyes are on who the starting quarterback will be in 2025, the conversation has been centered around whether QB Malik Washington is ready to step in to become the first true freshman QB to start a game during the Mike Locksley era in College Park. The former blue-chip quarterback showed all the traits of becoming the long-term answer at the position as he led Archbishop Spalding to three consecutive MIAA championships, leading Maryland to prioritize him once contact was allowed following his sophomore season after tracking him since his freshman year. And after committing, Washington made MIAA history after becoming the first player to enroll early in a growing trend across the DMV, but also to elevate the four-star’s chances of getting ready for year one. While his maturity has been an obvious trait that was noted through his high school career, the buzz through the spring pointed to the four-star as capable of taking over as QB1 when Maryland takes the field against FAU on Aug. 30, flashing his decision-making and grasp of the playbook. The future of the program, Washington will get a chance to elevate the quarterback room under new OC Pep Hamilton in 2025.

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