Maryland football kicks off the 2024 season in 41 days, but how does the roster and depth stack up? We ranked the Terps’ offensive units from strongest to weakest heading into fall camp: Wide receiver: Tai Felton, Kaden Prather, Octavian Smith, Shaleak Knotts, Leon Haughton, Braeden Wisloski, Ryan Manning, Josh Richards, Sean Williams, Ezekiel Avit, Jahmari Powell-Wonson, Mekhai White Skinny: Maryland’s wide receiver room has enjoyed plenty of veteran talent in recent years between the likes of players like Jeshaun Jones, Rakim Jarrett, Dontay Demus and Jacob Copeland among others. While the 2024 room is the year that underclassmen get a chance to separate themselves in a deep, yet unproven room, the unit still has a pair of dependable vets to turn to in Tai Felton and Kaden Prather who provide a perfect blend of size and speed to the offense. While underclassmen like Wisloski and White look to entrench themselves in the rotation, 2024 could be the season that Maryland sees a breakout from one of Shaleak Knotts or Octavian Smith Jr to cement the explosiveness in the room. Tight end: Leron Husbands, Preston Howard, A.J. Szymanski, Dylan Wade Skinny: The unit’s depth took a hit after a pair of offseason departures from Corey Dyches (Cal) and Rico Walker (Auburn), but there’s still quiet confidence in the room after an encouraging spring from its returners. While Preston Howard had the breakout season in 2023 after Tai Felton, Dylan Wade hit the ground running after enrolling in June to prove himself as an integral piece of the room. The second-year tight end could push Howard for TE1 duties heading into August, while Szymanski has a chance to cement his role in the room as the reliable blocking tight end that the offense missed in 2023. Running back: Roman Hemby, Nolan Ray, Colby McDonald, DeJuan Williams, Josiah McLaurin Skinny: The unit lost veteran Antwain Littleton Jr. from last season, but the offseason return from Roman Hemby coupled with the spring emergence of Nolan Ray adds juice to a room that aims to be a bigger factor in the offense this fall. Hemby’s game-changing speed has been well-documented, while Colby McDonald adds to the veteran presence in the room after proving himself as the Terps’ most efficient runner in 2023. But after a season filed with injuries now behind him, Ray is expected to be an integral part of the rotation where the commitment to the rushing attack is real. Quarterback: Billy Edwards Jr., MJ Morris, Cam Edge, Champ Long, Khristian Martin, Jayden Sauray Skinny: in year one of the post-Taulia Tagovailoa era, head coach Mike Locksley will take his open quarterback competition into fall camp where Billy Edwards Jr. and MJ Morris battle for the job with Cam Edge still the wildcard. The longer the competition goes and the more time that Morris gets within the offense and scheme, the more comfortable he’ll be running the offense as he works on becoming a master of Mike Locksley’s offense. As for Edwards, his familiarity and expertise in the system helps as the Terps offense will look to tailor to his strengths while establishing the run game through conference play. Offensive line: Marcus Dumervil, Josh Kaltenberger, Isaiah Wright, Kevin Kalonji, Alan Herron, Kyle Long, Andre Roye, Aliou Bah, Tamarus Walker, Deandre Duffus, Ryan Howerton, Terez Davis, Anthony Robsock, Davon Watkins, Trevor Szymanski, Michael Hershey, Logan Bennett Skinny: if there’s a position with more question marks than quarterback, it’s offensive line. After watching its entire offensive line from last season depart after exhausting eligibility, the unit is reliant on its portal additions once more with Josh Kaltenberger taking over at center while Alan Herron (RT) and Aliou Bah (RG) finalize the right side of the line. The newest addition was Buffalo lineman Isaiah Wright, who has experience at both left tackle and center, as he looks to become Maryland’s blindside blocker in 2024. The familiar face back in the trenches for the Terps is Kyle Long, who nearly beat out Amelio Moran for the starting job in 2023 but is back to provide a slight sense of continuity for position coach Brian Braswell. But fall camp will be the first time the unit will truly begin gelling together as all eyes are on improved efficiency in the trenches. The good news is that Maryland’s offseason portal additions all have at least one year of eligibility remaining to give the unit continuity heading into 2025, but the success of the Terps’ 2024 offense is contingent on how quickly the line can build chemistry with a new quarterback under center. Related Links
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