Maryland is coming off one of the program’s best passing seasons in its history after finishing 13th nationally in passing offense. It could be even better this year as starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa returns for the 2022 season. With a talented receiving core and another year of coaching under offensive coordinator Dan Enos, the sky is the limit for Taulia but what about the depth? Breaking down the Terps’ 2022 quarterback room.
The Starter:
Taulia Tagovailoa: Everyone should know Lia story’s by now. After transferring from Alabama in 2020, Tagovailoa started four games that year and had some uneven play. In 2021, he set the single-season school record for completions, completion percentage, and passing yards and tied the record for passing touchdowns. Lia also helped Maryland win their first bowl since 2010 and was the first quarterback to start every game since John Kaleo in 1992. This year, he has a chance to break even more records if he stays healthy. Tagovailoa is eighth in career passing yards and tied for fourth in career passing touchdowns in program history.
Another strength to Taulia’s game was his accuracy up and down the field. In his 2021 season, he had the ninth highest completion percentage at 69.2 % and in his 13 games, threw 3,860 yards which stood at the tenth highest in all of CFB. With these stats, Taulia set single season records for a Terp. He is first in the program with: passing yards (3,860), completions (328), completion percentage (69.2), single season touchdowns (26-tied), and single season 300-yard passing games with seven. The opportunities are endless for the young star as he has the help handed to him by Coach Locksley that could even maybe put him in or right outside Heisman Trophy consideration.
Lia is one of the best quarterbacks in the conference and should be competing for a spot on the All-Big Ten team in 2022, something he probably should have had last year.
Off the field, the third-year starter has grown as a leader for the program and become more vocal. That's something new wide receiver Jacob Copeland has even noticed. “Coach Locks sold me on the role I would have within the wide receiver room and once I saw how much of a pass heavy offense they were along with a talented quarterback like Taulia, I knew it would be a great spot.” Veteran lineman Spencer Anderson even added, “the man would take us out to dinner and even get all of us up front donuts—who wouldn’t love a guy like that?”
Tagovailoa was also named a consensus third-team All-Big Ten selection by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele last week.
The Transfer:
Billy Edwards: A transfer from Wake Forest, Edwards joined the program as the expected backup to Taulia. Joining his brother wasn’t a difference maker, simply the cherry on top, but Maryland outlasted interest from Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Indiana, Hawaii, Houston, Memphis, Buffalo, Old Dominion and Troy after being the first school to host him once he hit the portal. His familiarity with the Terps’ system was noted following his transfer and with four years of eligibility left, Edwards adds confidence to a young quarterback room behind Taulia. Edwards finished 12-of-14 for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns during the Demon Deacons spring game and joins the program as a capable pocket passer with the mobility to extend plays. This is Taulia’s job in 2022, but Edwards fits right into the room.
The Walk-ons:
Eric Najarian: Najarian almost led Maryland to a win against Rutgers in 2020 after throwing for 218 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. Since then, he hasn’t attempted a pass and only appeared in two games in 2021. While Najarian will have plenty of competition for the backup role in 2022, he shouldn’t be counted out as he has stepped in when the team needed him too.
David Foust: Foust was the offensive scout team player of the year in 2021. He appeared in the game against Howard but did not attempt a pass. Foust will be another one competing for the backup spot behind Lia.
Ryan Duell: Duell redshirted in 2021 after not appearing in a game. He’ll be in a fight to move up the depth chart in 2022.
John Griffith: Griffith had been the starting quarterback for the loaded St. Frances team since he was a sophomore. After initially committing to Bowling Green during the summer heading into his senior year, Griffith became a quality PWO addition for a Terps’ quarterback room that has turned over this offseason.
The Freshmen:
Jayden Sauray: Sauray had been the starter at Wise since his sophomore year but missed his junior year due to COVID. He finished his high school career with a 27-1 record and threw for over 4,000 yards and 60 touchdowns with a 67.4% percentage. Sauray was among the second wave of freshmen to enroll over the weekend after becoming a very frequent visitor in College Park during spring practice, giving him a chance to further acclimate himself to the playbook.
Cam Edge: Originally a 2023 recruit, Edge reclassified and arrived on campus with the rest of the 2022 class earlier in June. The former DeMatha star quarterback transferred to Smyrna (DE) for his junior season and was proactive with Maryland about filling the second quarterback void after another opted for a rebuilding SEC team. Like Sauray, Edge was a frequent visitor on-campus during spring ball and enrolled into the program over the weekend. The former four-star will use this year to learn from Lia and get ready to compete for the starting job in the future. Edge has plenty of talent, the only question is how far can he go in College Park?
Verdict: There’s no question about who the starter is, but what about the rest of the depth chart? Edwards has the upper-hand heading into the 2022 season, but can Sauray and Edge push him? Meanwhile, Najarian has shown he’s capable if needed while Foust has drawn praise from Locksley ever since stepping foot on campus. Maryland knows what they have in Taulia, but the 2022 season gives the unit a chance to separate themselves.
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