Maryland football set to take the podium at Big Ten Media Day

Ahmed Ghafir
1 day ago
3 min read

Maryland football is set to take the podium on the third and final day of Big Ten Media Days.

Head coach Mike Locksley will be joined by quarterback Malik Washington, offensive lineman Michael Hershey and star linebacker Daniel Wingate with Maryland the second team to take the podium on Thursday after Indiana.

IBG will be in attendance as head coach Mike Locksley's press conference will air live at 12:45 PM ET on Thursday. Locksley will then join the Big Ten Network studio set at 3:15 PM ET followed by Wingate, Washington and Hershey on the Big Ten Network studio set at 3:30 PM ET.

Maryland was picked to finish 15th in a pair of preseason polls to begin the week, while linebacker Daniel Wingate drew a vote for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year months after being named a Fourth Team All-American selection by Phil Steele.

Wingate has also been a mainstay in preseason accolades after The Athletic also pointed to he and punter Bryce McFerson as preseason Second Team All-Big Ten selections, but for good reason. The Pallotti standout will anchor a front seven that features a much deeper defensive line in 2026 compared to 2025, while Wingate is among several NFL Draft prospects on the roster, including Jamare Glasker and Amari Jackson on defense.

Hershey anchors the offensive line ahead of his second full season as the starting center, while The Athletic tabbed him as the eighth-best draft-eligible center ahead of 2026 where he's remained an integral part of the offensive line identity since he arrived in June 2024. The Pa. native and former wrestler will block for quarterback Malik Washington, who already sits top-20 in program history in career pass attempts, completions and passing yards. Year two will give the sophomore a chance to improve his efficiency while tapping into his profile as a quarterback who can pose a challenge to opposing defenses in the run game.

With fall camp set to begin on Aug. 5, Maryland now officially turns the page from consecutive four-win seasons, including a 2-14 record in conference play.

What will the message be?

Two years after declaring that the program is in a place where "we can compete for championships," Mike Locksley heads into 2026 with the most returning production he's had since becoming 2022 when Maryland returned 72% of his roster. 2026 may have a similar feel given the expected strong defense paired with a quarterback that offers optimism for the offense. But after retaining the bulk of a team that worked through its inexperience in 2025, how does Locksley set the tone for 2026?

Developments on offense

Maryland has a new offensive coordinator with Clint Trickett replacing Pep Hamilton with fall camp a chance to iron out the kinks while allowing Malik Washington to build on a strong spring ball. With a chance for Trickett to now implement his personality into what's expected to be an offense with more tempo, Washington and Hershey join head coach Mike Locksley to expand how the 2026 offense can become more efficient compared to 2025.

How did returning production impact offseason development?

Maryland's 2025 class was viewed to be a potentially special one even before all the puzzle pieces finally dropped, and well before blue-chipper Zahir Mathis became the cherry on top on the second Signing Day. One year after meshing all the new pieces together from both the high school and portal ranks, the domino effect allowed Maryland to retain its impact pieces to add chemistry through the offseason. So what was learned that was applied differently in 2026?

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