Maryland football opens the season one month from today against UConn, which means that head coach Mike Locksley and the Terps will hit the field for the first practice of fall camp later this afternoon. With that, we take a look at four storylines to watch heading into August: Who emerges from the quarterback battle? For the first time in the Mike Locksley era, Maryland football enters fall camp with a true quarterback competition. The closest that fans got to a competition was Locksley’s first season when VT transfer Josh Jackson beat out fan-favorite Tyrrell Pigrome, but that’s a much different feel than what the Terps are staring at heading into 2024. Freshman Khristian Martin arrived in College Park in June to become the sixth and final scholarship quarterback on the roster as he, Jayden Sauray and Champ Long round out the unit’s depth. While Cam Edge has been able to flash through spring ball into the summer, veteran Billy Edwards Jr. will look to step into his first full season as a starter but will be challenged by NC State transfer MJ Morris. The comfort that Edwards has in the system is hard to ignore as the athletic quarterback has the trust to run the offense, but the more time that MJ Morris gets, the better his development has proven to be. After arriving in College Park in January, Morris will get a chance to showcase his improved grasp of the Terps’ offense and concepts heading into a pair of scrimmages before Mike Locksley names a starting quarterback. The need to improve Maryland’s efficiency running the ball has been a consistent theme through the offseason and while Roman Hemby is back in 2024 to anchor the room, second-year running back Nolan Ray has seamlessly shined through spring ball into offseason workouts as a potential ‘breakout’ star this fall. With renewed optimism in the backfield, all eyes remain on who ultimately takes the opening snap under center when the Terps open against UConn on August 31. Ironing out the starting OL Maryland turned to the transfer portal to replace its entire starting unit from a season ago and they’ll get a chance to rely on Alan Herron, Josh Kaltenberger and Aliou Bah heading into 2024. All three midyear transfers were able to get acclimated to the program through spring bal, while both Herron and Bah were able to get reps during bowl prep in Nashville back in December. There’s confidence in the portal additions where Bah lined up at right guard, Herron at right tackle and Kaltenberger at center. Kaltenberger has a chance to really stabilize the center position after a season of switching between Mike Purcell and Aric Harris, while Herron has drawn buzz as the next potential lineman who could find himself playing on Sundays. While veteran Kyle Long is back and able to compete for a starting role at guard, all eyes are on former St. Frances tackle Andre Roye as the 300-pound tackle has an opportunity to step into a starting role. How does the CB room shake out? For the second straight year, Maryland was tasked with replacing a pair of starting cornerbacks after Jakorian Bennett, Deonte Banks, Ja’Quan Sheppard and Tarheeb Still made their way to the NFL. Maryland’s first addition of the offseason came from the portal when Jalen Huskey, a two-year starter at Bowling Green, pulled the trigger on Maryland over Oklahoma and others to give the Terps its shutdown cornerback. After playing quarterback in high school and signing as a wide receiver, converted cornerback Perry Fisher had a chance to build off a breakout performance in the bowl win vs. Auburn and proved himself as a dependable piece in the rotation through spring ball. He isn’t the only one as second-year cornerback Kevis Thomas has drawn praise heading into fall camp, while the excitement surrounding freshman and former four-star Kevyn “Kerm” Humes gives the defense arguably its fastest player to elevate the athleticism in the room. Maryland also has production to replace along the backline with Glen Miller stepping in to fill the shoes left by Beau Brade, while Lavain Scruggs, Alex Moore, Tayvon Nelson and blue-chip signee Brandon Jacob round out a young yet explosive safety room. But under new position coach and co-DC Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, how the nine underclassmen cornerbacks separate themselves through fall camp will be a continued storyline as Maryland’s secondary looks to replicate its 17 interceptions in 2023, the second-most in the Big Ten. Specialists battle After finishing with the fourth-lowest punt average (40.3), touchbacks (2) and third-lowest field goal percentage (70%) in 2023, special teams was a quiet priority for Maryland this offseason as they were able to fill those shoes through the portal in the spring. Former Notre Dame punter Bryce McFerson joined the program back in the spring where he’s capable of taking over both punting and kickoff duties to provide a big boost for the special teams unit. While there’s confidence that McFerson can help the Terps flip the field and win the field position battles through 2024, they weren’t done as former Oklahoma kicker Gavin Marshall was another quiet portal target through the spring. Despite his then pledge to Vanderbilt, Maryland’s pursuit never ended as they completed the flip during his official visit beginning May 30. McFerson will still have to compete with Brenden Segovia, while returning starter Jack Howes will step into a position battle for the second straight offseason after beating out former Michigan State kicker Evan Johnson in 2023. In the return game, Maryland still has several options to turn to between Braeden Wisloski, Roman Hemby, Tai Felton, Kevis Thomas, Mykel Morman and Nolan Ray. Wisloski will look to retain his title as punt returner after proving to be an electric weapon as a freshman, the type of athlete that he was expected to be when he signed. Finding skill players to help flip the field with the ball in their hands will likely never be a problem under Mike Locksley, but heading into 2024, improving efficiency in the kicking game is a focus. Former assistant Ron Zook is back with the program working under current ST coach James Thomas as Maryland looks to improve those metrics from last season. Related Links
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