Exactly two weeks into fall camp and 17 days away from the season opener vs. UConn at SECU Stadium, Maryland football head coach Mike Locksley met with the media after Wednesday’s practice and talked about the progression of the quarterback competition, development of the underclassmen, offensive line progress and more.
Locksley on the QB battle
“It’s been really good competition. I think each guy has done some things really well. The scrimmage this weekend, coming out of it, I think they all showed that they have a good understanding of the system. [I’m] not prepared to say that one guy is playing above another guy just yet but I do think as you look at the two weeks we’ve been in camp and when each guy has had his opportunity to run with the different units, I feel good about the direction that the room is as a whole.”
On the progression of the three starting QB candidates
“Billy [Edwards], MJ [Morris], Cam [Edge] have been the three guys that have took the lion’s share of one reps. We’ve thrown a couple of the young guys, Champ [Long] in there and he’s gotten some one reps and guys like Khristian Martin has had an opportunity. But I’d say when you look at those first three going into it, the guys that have had game experience, all three of them have shown what their capabilities are in our system. I think Josh [Gattis] has done a good job of how he scripted to the strengths of what they do.”
On the competition at QB & across the roster
“I enjoy the competition aspect of it. It’s what really has gotten our program to where it is today. When you bring in people to compete, I think it brings out the best and that’s kind of how we’ve recruited. So, I mean in a perfect world, I’d love to have Taulia Tagovailoa back for another year. Yeah, it makes it easy but as we know around here in Maryland, nothing’s ever going to be easy and we expect that to make a tough decision. And I’m glad to be able to make a tough [decision] ’cause if it was easy, that means we probably didn’t have the competition that we would want to have or need to have to be a good team or be a good quarterback room.”
On new standouts through fall camp
“I would say that if I had thought of a guy coming out of the two weeks in camp, I’d say, who’s jumped out, Leon Haughton has really been one of those guys that I think has strengthened us in the tight end room. When you lose some of the production we had in that room, to have a guy with his skill set, I’ve been pleased with the way he’s come along. Some of the young freshmen offensive linemen, we’re going to need them in what I call our two-and-a-half deep where we’ve got two groups of starters, but some young guys we’ve got to develop – Terez Davis has been one of those guys, [Michael] Hershey and [Anthony] Robsock have both been, as well as [Trevor] Szymanski, freshman offensive lineman. Those guys have put themselves to where they’ve opened some eyes. Defensively, the young corners. “Kerm” [Humes] has kind of jumped out to me and Braydon Lee and those guys are fighting and competing. So it’s been about what to be expected, but I’d say that there’s some guys that just surprisingly, I’ve been really pleased with the young linemen and their development as well as Leon Houghton on offense. Then the young corners, the way Aazaar [Abdul-Rahim] has been bringing those guys along.”
On whether it’s too much to expect Maryland to replicate the 2023 season
“There’s no talk about replication because we know we’ve got to knock it all down and start from base level ground zero every year and there’s no replicating last season. The team we were a year ago is not who we will be this year. I kind of like the team that we’ve shown ourselves to be thus far in camp. We got through this two-day stretch which I kind of call hump days for us where we’re at the meat of training camp where the signs of fatigue start to show up and the sloppiness and some of the things that have shown themselves, I haven’t seen yet. And so really pleased with the effort that I’ve seen thus far.”
On how confident Locksley feels in identifying his starters
“I feel good about our team. I mean we return seven starters on defense so any time you return seven starters, I’m pleased with that. That’s 70% of the defense returning. We’ve been a team that plays a lot of players so they may not have starter beside them but if you look at the amount of snaps that some guys have taken both on offense and defense, I think you’ll see the experience. This is why we play the amount of players we play because we have to develop the bottom part of our roster. So [I] feel good about where we are in terms of the guys that have been starters for us are taking the next step in our program. The guys that are competing to start obviously where we have a few more question marks on the offensive side. I like the competition there, but nowhere close yet until we get through the second scrimmage to kind of start to feel who the starters will be.”
On whether Locksley cares about preseason Big Ten expectations
“Yeah, man, my ‘give a crap’ gauge is still on [empty] and it is what it is. I mean, we’ve come to enjoy it. At least now we’re talked about as a middle team. I mean, usually the bottom three is what it’s typically been. Yeah, couldn’t care less.”
On having four former head coaches on his staff
“Any time you add experience – I always talk about expanding the room. When you put four head coaches on your staff, you’re bringing in four guys that have been in that chair that understand the day in and day out stressors of it to be able to take things off my plate, to be able to offer a different way of looking at it. For me, accountability is horizontal. I’m the leader. They all know that. I don’t have to like put it out in front of everybody that it’s my program and how we run it. But they know that I’m all for the experience that those four former head coaches bring. You’ve got guys that have coordinated at a top level, so to have this type of staff is an example of what Maryland is able to attract.”
On Locksley’s perspective being back in the QB room
“When you’re on the front line, one negative of being a head coach for me is it’s lonely when you just, you don’t have your own room. I meet with Lia at night when everybody’s gone. It’s almost like you’re the secret, like you’re like a side piece. Well, to have your own room now and to be able to have a group of guys you call your own that you get to deal with on a day to day basis. Eric Najarian has been great for me because obviously when I’ve got to step out to do head coaching things, he’s been in the room, he’s been in the system, he knows the language so it’s not a big drop off, but I love being back in the room because it gives me a bird’s eye view of what they know and as opposed to deciphering what they know based on one-on-one meetings, I get a better feel sitting in the meeting on a day to day basis of what they see and why they see things a certain way.”
On the development of the starting OL
“We got 18 typically on scholarship. You travel your two-deep and a couple of spares. So you usually travel about 13 total guys if you do the math – two-deep and a couple extra center, extra tackle, extra guard. As I said, that’s where these young players, the young linemen as well as the resources of bringing in the extra [offensive] line coaches, that development of that group has been probably one of the best things I’ve witnessed during training camp is when I look down and see all those [offensive] linemen working and three coaches coaching them and them being developed and expediting it because we’re going to need some of these young guys to kind of step up and fill the void when you lose four guys to the NFL like we’ve done up front.”
On Josh Kaltenberger’s transition to Maryland
“We recruit to the portal to our liking meaning we bring in the type of guys that we feel can fit into the culture and not disrupt it. Josh has, from the day he’s been here, he’s been a guy that has fit in really well. Almost to the point where he’s taken on a leadership role and not by just being a guy talking about it, but with his actions and the way he prepares.”
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