Maryland head coach Mike Locksley knows NIL has overtaken college football, but he also acknowledges how fans can help the program’s efforts.
“Here’s an opportunity for your fan base, because there aren't any guardrails on the NIL rules,” Locksley said on 105.7 this week. “For years, the thought is, hey, we want to see you as a coach close the gap between the top teams and your program. Well, now our fans have an opportunity to help close this gap because as a coach, we can't do anything about it. But as fans and people that support your programs, they can get behind it. And we know down south how they like to recruit. The misconception is that the Big Ten doesn't have money but as we know the Big Ten has the highest payout of all the conferences based on the TV package that we have. But what it has to take now as you know, the fans and the supporters of your program to help get behind it because we've been able to do some really good things here with sweat equity, but now with the NIL stuff coming into play, now we need our fans and our supporters to continue to step up and help us kind of close the gap.”
While the ongoing debate along with the transfer portal takes center stage through the offseason, the Terps still have one more closed scrimmage and two practices before next Saturday’s spring game. Maryland has leveraged the spring to invite a host of local recruits and high schools to watch spring practice, but it’s also given the remainder of the 2022 signees an opportunity to watch their respective position groups and grasp the practice style. That applies in the quarterback room where the Terps signed Jayden Sauray and Cam Edge who “both those guys have spent quite a bit of time up here during spring practice.” That’s given the two a chance to watch quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa as he prepares for his third season as Maryland’s starter.
“‘Lia is the guy for us. He continues to improve you know, year three in the system. Obviously his weapons, a lot of them are kind of half in, half out this spring with recovering from injuries to Jeshaun Jones is as well as the Dontay Demus. Both are coming along great but what we've been able to do with Lia is continue to develop him within our system.” Locksley also credited both tight ends CJ Dippre and Weston Wolff for having a “bring spring” while expressing confidence in the trio of young running backs.
“We're really happy with the running back room and the depth that we've created with guys like Antwain Littleton, Roman Hemby, as well as Colby McDonald who all three young running backs from a year ago that that have continued to really get better along with Challen Faamatau.”
The biggest improvement is in the trenches where Maryland returns all five starters from the 2021 season. The offseason development from Aric Harris has only bolstered the rotation while Amelio Moran returns after playing in all 13 games last season. “We’ve been able to develop some depth on the second line and then having those five returning starters on the [offensive] line has really been helpful.”
Maryland’s spring game is set for next Saturday, April 30 at noon on the Big Ten Network and Locksley left no grey area about whether the Terps would tackle during the scrimmage. “We need as much work as we can blocking, tackling, running and catching so we're not at that point yet two-hand touch up,” he joked. “I will tell you that the numbers obviously are a little thin, but we'll be able to get some good work done. As you know, most of the good meat of your scrimmages are done and in the spring game, you're just crossing your fingers that you can get out of that thing healthy.”
Locksley also urged the fans to come out to support while they’re already on campus.
“It’s on Maryland Day as it should be. Our campus is usually buzzing. It's our open house for the university. And so we're hoping to be able to bring a good crowd out. Hopefully, the weather will hold up and we're not keep going back and forth with this weather we've had here but we're excited to continue to push through.”
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More from Locksley
On offseason conditioning program: “Ryan Davis has been kind of the unsung hero, our strength and conditioning coach. And when you look at the makeup of our team, the length of how we've been able to add muscle, size, mass, bigger, stronger, faster especially because of the type of systems we run. The one thing that people know that we were a fast team but then we've been able to add explosive power. And you look across the board at our [defensive] line, our front seven guys all look like Big Ten guys in terms of the offseason program and as, that's the most important part of our program is, is that time of year from January until you start spring ball. We pushed things back a week because of us going to the bowl game and trying to make sure that we're able to maximize that time and I've been really happy again the young [offensive] linemen have continued to get bigger, stronger. You look at our young tight ends, have both CJ Dippre has really and Weston Wolff has really put on some mass and size and so been happy with that part of our program.”
On new coaches: “Obviously when we know what we do on defense, we continue to bring guys that have expertise in that type of system to continue to help and improve and we brought in the veteran coach like Lance Thompson, who's been in this Alabama-esque defensive system that we're running. We're able to get a guy like Wes Neighbors who played in this system and is really one of the top young, bright coaches in the future coming along and I've been really happy with the addition of those guys on our different side of the ball along with Brian Williams.”