New Maryland defensive coordinator Ted Monachino looking to develop a "fast and physical" defense in 2025

Ahmed Ghafir
18 hours ago
3 min read

After two years at North Carolina and several stints in the NFL across his over three decade coaching carer, new defensive coordinator Ted Monachino will look to take over a defense that features a combined 16 starts at Maryland. But what brought Monachino to College Park.

“The first phone call actually came, I talked with coach in 2018 when he hired I believe Jon Hoke was the guy hired at that time. Coach knew at that point that this was a place that I had an interest in,” Monachino said ahead of the first practice of fall camp. “That was right after I had left Indianapolis as the coordinator and talking with coach at that point, there was some mutual interest there. And since then, I know on my side of that equation, I've kept great track of what coach has done here and got a great amount of respect for what he's done here. And I think that when he had some change coming down the pipe defensively, I think that I was a name that was brought up around the building a few times. Not only by locks, but by some other guys that I know. And my first actual phone call was from Brian Griffin. And Brian and I worked together in Atlanta, so he knew that I would have an interest. I knew that he was here so that's the first one. And then I guess he was talking about working with good people, obviously, with the disappointing year, last year, and kind of some of the interesting areas that are surrounding and mentoring. Year seven. How much do you take responsibility.”

Now tasked with replacing Brian Williams and with Aazaar Abdul-Rahim heading into his second season as the co-defensive coordinator, Monachino will look to guide a Maryland defense that allowed the third-most yards per game one season ago.

“I'm at the point in my career that it's about helping good people win,” he added. “It's not about - I've been in big stadiums. I've been in big moments. I believe it's a great job. If you like where you live, you like the guys the guys you work with, then you have a chance to win. That's what I was attracted to. And I think we have all three of those things here.”

But there is familiarity with the area with Monachino noting “that also was a little bit of an added bonus that I wasn't sure that I was going to have”. In addition to stints with the Jaguars, Colts, Bears and Falcons, Monachino spent five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens beginning in 2010 where he served as the outside linebackers coach, coaching players like Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil who both went on to become All-Pro selections under him. Now, Monachino will look to develop the next wave of young pass rushers in College Park with the defense looking to generate more consistent pressure in 2025.

“That’s been an Achilles heel for us on defense, being able to generate pass rush without adding people,” head coach Mike Locksley added.

Though Maryland enters the fall as one of the youngest teams in the country, the defense still features several players who have played rotational or impact roles in 2024. That includes outside linebackers Trey Reddick and Neeo Avery with both now working under Monachino as the second and third-year defenders are expected to be big pieces in 2025.

“He’s really a guy who wants to let us go play,” Avery added. “Him being my position coach and coaching in the league coaching so many guys for so many years, I think some of the insight he has is very valuable that I haven’t really gotten yet.”

While defensive line coach Corey Liuget is tasked with restocking the top four producers along the defensive line with Dillan Fontus expected to serve as a leader on and off the field at his position, inside linebacker coach Zac Spavital inherits a strong inside linebacker room anchored by Mike Harris and Daniel Wingate, who was named to the Butkus Award Watch List on Wednesday.

“He’s allowing us to play fast and physical,” Wingate said about Monachino’s scheme. “You want to be able to play downhill, you want to be able to play fast. I just love the defense that Ted has set up for us to use our athletic ability and play fast, play simple.”

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