Maryland football lands third portal quarterback in Cardell Williams

Ahmed Ghafir
35 minutes ago
1 min read

Maryland added a pair of high school commitments on Friday with safety Kevin Jackson and offensive tackle Caleb Canty in the fold, but head coach Mike Locksley also rounded out the 2026 quarterback room with a third portal addition this offseason.

Former Toledo and Sacramento State quarterback Cardell Williams announced his decision to transfer to Maryland in 2026, joining Devin Kargman and Max Lawrence as portal additions and Nathan Bernhard as the offseason additions at the position. Maryland also returns redshirt freshman Jackson Hamilton, but it will be all eyes on Malik Washington as he prepares to build on his freshman season alongside new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett. Williams now arrives next month looking to add experienced depth at the position.

After throwing for over 1,200 yards over his last two seasons at Tulsa with seven interceptions against ten touchdowns, Williams transferred to Sacramento State and stepped in as the starter for former Florida quarterback Jaden Rashada early through the 2025 season after starting in ten games and appearing in all 12. He finished with nearly 400 rushing yards and 1,621 passing yards while completing 62.9% of his attempts, amassing 22 total touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Williams, who also completed at least 70% of his passes in four games in 2025, redshirted his first season at Tulsa, making his transfer to Maryland his final season of eligibility.

The rising senior and athletic quarterback now heads to College Park looking to become QB2 amid a now deeper competition battle set to unfold through fall camp.

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