Maryland football will turn to the next stage of fall camp on Tuesday for the first padded practice of the month, but the BTN crew made their way to College Park on Monday night as analyst Dave Revsine and Howard Griffith took in the Terps heading into Mike Locksley’s sixth season as head coach. Four takeaways from BTN’s day in College Park:
Three-man race at quarterback
Head coach Mike Locksley once again didn’t shy away from his answer on when his starting quarterback will be determined.
“Sunday, August 25th [at] 5 PM. I’ll be meeting with all of them at one time in my office,” he said again on BTN.
While Billy Edwards Jr. and MJ Morris look to translate their experience into the starting role as the BTN crew noted the competition is “so close” through the first five days, head coach Mike Locksley reiterated Cam Edge’s position in the mix. Locksley also noted, “the fourth guy can come from a Champ Long or a Khristian Martin.”
“So it looks like it’s three and you would say [that] with Billy [Edwards] having had game experience, Cam [Edge] having played in a system and with MJ [Morris] coming over from NC State. All three of those guys have had some really good times and days throughout practice. All three of those guys have shown why they are in the mix for competing for it. And they’ve all shown that they have the ability to run it.”
Locksley also shed insight on how the quarterbacks can separate themselves in practice.
“Now it’s who makes the people around them better. I told the quarterbacks earlier, I shouldn’t know which group you’re working with and that tells me a lot about you as a quarterback.”
Maryland working to find a way to break through in 2024
Mike Locksley will look to guide the Terps to their fourth bowl appearance in as many years for the first time in program history, providing credence to the program’s steady development under his watch. For a team that’s worked to make bowl eligibility an expected result, veteran safety Dante Trader admitted the Terps are working to find out how to become an ‘A team’ heading into the Aug. 31 opener vs. UConn.
“To come from a ‘C’ team to a ‘B’ Team, you just had to buy in, get everybody to buy into the same principles. And now we’re trying to go from a ‘B’ [Team] to an ‘A’ [Team], which we’re trying to figure out,” he said.
“We have a standard and a structure and a process, but it’s really been the work that’s been put in and it doesn’t usually entail a lot of talking, but a lot of doing,” head coach Mike Locksley added. “Last three years we’ve had players that have bought into what we call a player-led culture. Our players believe they can win which is half the battle and now, it’s just a matter of building and developing the depth that it takes to play in a really tough league that’s gotten even tougher.”
After wrapping up the fifth practice of camp, Mike Locksley noted he, “came away impressed with the way that our team has shown the maturity of understanding the work that has to be done.” For Dante Trader, emphasizing the details is the message of the offseason.
“Don’t be ourselves. I mean, we’re going to say that until [we] beat it into everybody’s head. Don’t beat ourselves. If you look, most of these games come down to three plays. If you look on the tape, it comes down to three plays – [it] could be a punt block, a big explosive play on kick return or a big third down stop who got a penalty on.”
Commitment to the run game & TE praise
Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis pointed to veteran running back Roman Hemby as “the face of our program” after BTN analyst Howard Griffith noted, “running the football is going to be a big part of who they are.”
“When you look into being in the Big Ten which is a big conference for running the ball and things like that, we want to be very multifaceted,” Hemby added. “We want to have to where we can put people in the game at any given time and not miss a beat.”
While Hemby is joined by veteran Colby McDonald in the backfield alongside freshmen duo DeJuan Williams and Josiah McLaurin finding their roles, Gattis reiterated a breakout season could be on the way from second-year RB Nolan Ray.
“There’s a young guy that’s gonna create quite a wave on our team. And Nolan Ray is a young guy [who] redshirted last year. Tremendous talent, super, really good kid and just super talented, just fast. So we’re excited to continue to see him grow and give him opportunities as well.”
While the wide receiver room is led by a pair of veterans in Kaden Prather and Tai Felton, Prather pointed to a handful of up-and-comers making a name for themselves in practice.
“Ryan Manning, Mekhai White, Shaleak Knotts, all those guys are coming along very well. The thing about them, they don’t walk around acting like someone owes them something. They’re always open to learn. They’re being sponges, they’re soaking in everything, the coaches and everything the older guys are telling them.”
Preston Howard and Dylan Wade will both get a chance to fill key roles in the passing attack, and despite the departure of all-conference vet Corey Dyches (Cal) this offseason, Gattis added he believed “there’s going to be no drop off at that position.”
“I’m really excited about Dylan and Preston. Those two guys give us big, long bodies at the tight end position. We’re athletic. They’re gonna make a ton of plays for us.”
While the offensive line was dealt a blow after Isaiah Wright’s season-ending injury was announced last week, Gattis pointed back to Josh Kaltenberger, Aliou Bah and Alan Herron as “immediate impact players for us.” With Andre Roye and Isaac Bunyun spotted taking reps with the first-team offense during BTN, Gattis noted “we’re still trying to have a competition between the left guard, left tackle.”
Strength in the 2024 Maryland defense
With seven starters back and the addition of All-MAC cornerback Jalen Huskey, there’s ample confidence in Maryland’s defense heading into Brian Williams’s third season as defensive coordinator as he and Aazaar Abdul-Rahim look to lead an experienced group.
While the defensive line has vets to lean on in Taizse Johnson and Tommy Akingbesote, it’s hard to overlook Jordan Phillips heading into his second season with the program where his near-unmatched motor and work ethic has commanded the full respect of the locker room and staff.
“He’s very serious-minded, really no-nonsense type of guy, but he means well and it comes from the right place and he really cares about his teammates. And he’s come in here and really earned the respect of everyone in the building,” Brian Williams said of Phillips. “He’s really dedicated and the way he was raised by his mom and then also just his discipline towards what he’s trying to do. And the fact that he sacrifices a lot at times and he doesn’t mind taking on double teams and doing the dirty work and everyone sees that. It’s beginning to be contagious and we love it.”
The chemistry among the defensive line room has become a growing theme heading into fall camp after the unit arranged to get extra work in ahead of the first practice. “They got a serious bond around them now, more so than we’ve ever had in the past. There are more team-oriented functions. These guys are doing more together off the field. They’re closer.”
While the expected starters have ample experience to lean on heading into the year, the depth within the front seven gives the Terps arguably its deepest defensive unit since Locksley arrived following the 2018 season.
“This is my sixth year here with coach Locksley and we’ve just worked to really – I think we’ve been preparing for it since we’ve been here. We’re going out and recruiting talented football players, guys with length, guys with speed, guys that play disciplined and tough. You gotta have that against those offenses and you still can’t just stop it, but it gives you the best chance. We look forward to those challenges that we have with those new teams coming in.”
The big question for the defense is how they replace three starters who left for the NFL, but Williams pointed to a pair of underclassmen shining while Perry Fisher has built off a breakout bowl performance into a strong spring.
“Just seeing the consistency and guys like Perry Fisher, Jalen Huskey, you know, we’ve got young corners like Braydon Lee coming in, doing a really good job, Kevyn Humes.”
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