Maryland football's offense eyes balance under new OC Clint Trickett

Ahmed Ghafir
2 days ago
5 min read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM1ffbhStSs

With quarterback Malik Washington running the system that he was recruited to play in as a four-star recruit out of Archbishop Spalding, how the pieces gel together will be the question for fall camp to answer as first-year offensive coordinator Clint Trickett leaves his imprint on the offense.

For Washington, who Trickett said carries “a lot of the same characteristics” as some of his former Florida State teammates like Jameis Winston and EJ Manuel, the chance to implement tempo in the offense marks a shift from his freshman season with Maryland’s new coordinator looking to make opposing defenses “defend every blade of grass.”

“We don’t want to get condensed and make them be able to just play in 33 yard box. We want them to play all 53 ⅓ and put our skilled playmakers in space,” coordinator Clint Trickett said ahead of the first practice.

Yet the biggest question will be whether Maryland can create a balanced offense with the run game largely inconsistent – and at times nonexistent – over the last three seasons. Running back DeJuan Williams will look to step into a feature role with a chance for fall camp to answer “who is the two, who is the three” in the rotation, as Trickett said, but the chance for Malik Washington to be used as a weapon remains a big piece of the puzzle.

“Obviously we’re going to use [Washington] a little bit more in the run game and he’s excited about that,” Trickett said.

The dual threat ability was something Washington flashed as a freshman after totaling over 160 yards on the ground vs. Rutgers, but learning the balance between when to “slide [and] when to not take those hits” versus being “Jaxson Dart and run over the guy” is the point of emphasis for the sophomore.

“It’s definitely a part of the game that you need to add, especially now with today’s game, everybody being fast, everybody being mobile,” Washington added.

While the running back room will look to emerge to complement Washington’s threat on the ground, the wide receiver room enters camp with a chance to prove themselves after a lackluster 2025 room moved on to the NFL. Trickett knows August provides several reserve pieces who “have been waiting in the wings” a chance to break loose, while high school-turned-college teammates Jayden Kitchens and Josiah Teasley look to make an immediate impact. But the top of the wide receiver room has drawn confidence after head coach Mike Locksley noted that it’s a room that “we feel like we’ve upgraded.”

Kaleb Webb returns with established chemistry with Washington as portal additions, Chris Durr Jr. and Na’eem Gladding, look to become dependable targets after flashing capable of being that in the spring.

Washington reiterated his two newest options at the top of the room are “electric” while Webb looks to “take advantage of my opportunities” in 2026.

“It’s kind of like the same mindset I had last year with me, kind of being like a rotational guy. When the ball did come my way, I wanted to make sure I made my plays and also if I’m doing something for my teammates, whether that’s blocking or just running the route to get them open, I just want to make sure I’m doing that to the best of my ability,” Webb added.

Behind them, 6-foot-7 senior Jordan Scott, JuCo addition Ejani Shakir, upperclassman Ryan Manning and second-year Zymear Smith are among those looking to prove the room has depth, but the tight end room will also play a big role to alleviate the strain on the wide receivers.

Trickett admitted the tight end room is the unit he’s “probably most excited about” with quality at the top in Dorian Fleming and Preston Howard, an experienced in-line blocker in AJ Szymanski and JT Taggart leading a group of underclassmen in what Maryland’s coordinator described as a “deep, deep room.”

“I was fortunate enough, my first or second job was to be the tight end coach for Lane [Kiffin] at FAU and we had a Mackey Award winner there and this room is very similar to what I had with Harrison Bryant,” Trickett said.

But it’s all about the trenches in the Big Ten, an area that Maryland has reason to be confident on both sides of the ball.

Alongside left tackle Rahtrel Perry, the offensive line also returns a seventh-year veteran in Isaiah Wright, who could line up at right tackle in 2026 after playing left guard in 2025. Yet the chance to return to College Park wasn’t always a route that Wright thought would materialize until his medical waiver was approved in January after his 2024 season was cut short due to a season-ending injury suffered during offseason workouts. Now, he’s feeling “a lot of gratitude” as the veteran in the room, but he isn’t the only veteran as Texas State guard Tellek Lockette arrived having played in over 1,000 pass blocking snaps and coming off a four-game 2025 season not allowing a sack.

Lockette has been a mainstay inside Jones-Hill House and around the facilities for reps and conditioning as Wright noted he’s “always wanting to get in extra work” with a chance to materialize into the starting left guard, yet he isn’t the only one working to prove himself in camp.

The chance for Ryan Howerton to materialize into a starter would also serve as an added bonus for Michael Hershey given the two arrived at Maryland as three-star signees in the 2024 class and will go through fall camp as roommates. “We talked last night, both excited to get this ball rolling,” he added.

After playing in ten games as a redshirt freshman, Howerton has an opportunity to step in as Aliou Bah’s replacement at right guard where Hershey has seen him “take the next step in the concepts of the offense and being able to understand the plays a little bit better. He definitely knows what he's doing when he's out there, and also as a leader, you know, he's been speaking up more and being vocal.”

Now, Maryland’s revamped offense will look to put the pieces together with officially less than one month until Maryland hosts Hampton for an 8 PM kickoff on Sept. 5. With the players looking to capitalize one game at a time, Webb also admitted that even though he realizes the week three matchup vs. Virginia Tech draws all the eyeballs and headlines, it’s the week six matchup against the Buckeyes at Ohio State that has his attention.

“I just want to play the best. I want to play Ohio State.”

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