Maryland football among nation's leaders in returning production

Ahmed Ghafir
55 minutes ago
2 min read

Maryland football is set to open spring ball tomorrow with the first practice set to begin in the afternoon as head coach Mike Locksley and the program enter the next phase of the offseason.

Maryland returns 71% of its production from 2025, ranked second nationally and trailing only Notre Dame, who is one point ahead. The 68% returning production on offense ranks 17th nationally while the defense, returning 74% of its production, ranks fourth nationally behind Florida, Notre Dame and Air Force.

There will be some veteran returners like Dontay Joyner and Jamare Glasker, who anchor the top of the cornerback room alongside Boston College transfer Amari Jackson, along with Isaiah Wright back for a third season to lead the offensive line. Linebacker Daniel Wingate turned down outside interest to return in 2026 to lead the defense as he enters his senior season as arguably Maryland’s top draft prospect in 2027.

But it’s an encouraging sign because the bulk of that returning production stems from the freshmen class now transitioning into their sophomore seasons with quarterback Malik Washington joining edge rushers Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart as the face of the program. There will be other questions to answer, like how the new wide receiver room can mesh, cornerback depth and whether new coordinator Clint Trickett can establish a rushing attack, while the staff integrates the 12 new transfer commits into the two-deep.

But the biggest question is whether that will be enough ahead of a critical year eight of the Mike Locksley era, coming off consecutive four win seasons. Maryland’s preseason projected win total opened at 4.5 with a tougher non-conference slate ahead compared to 2025 with Virginia Tech in week three the highlight, while the Terps will also head north to face UConn in week two after opening against Hampton.

CBS Sports pointed to Maryland hitting the over on the preseason win total, but not by much after predicting a 5-7 finish with wins against Hampton, UConn, UCLA, Rutgers and Purdue.

“Maryland is among the FBS leaders in returning starters with 14 -- tied for second-most in the country. However, that doesn't necessarily translate to wins. The Terrapins have just one conference victory in each of the past two seasons. Quarterback Malik Washington offers real upside, but it may not be enough to change the trajectory of Mike Locksley's tenure in College Park.”

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