The preseason watch lists continue to pour in as Maryland set a program record on Wednesday with the most selections in the 2024 Senior Bowl watchlist.
OL Gottlieb Ayedze, S Beau Brade, TE Corey Dyches, OL Delmar Glaze, CB Ja'Quan Sheppard, CB Tarheeb Still and QB Taulia Tagovailoa were all selected, one year after Maryland placed four on the 2023 watch list.
Ayedze and Glaze are part of a new-look offensive line heading into the season, though Glaze is the lone returning starter with 25 starts over his last two seasons. Ayedze, meanwhile, joined the program in January after transferring from Frostburg State as the former Northwest product is expected to step in as the Terps’ starting right tackle this season.
Cornerbacks Ja’Quan Sheppard and Tarheeb Still also lead a Maryland secondary into the fall looking to create more turnovers, but Sheppard’s arrival filled a key need. After sitting behind current Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, Sheppard posted ten pass deflections in 12 games and is now expected to become a starter for Maryland. Meanwhile, veteran safety Beau Brade continues his preseason hype as one of the top draft-eligible safeties in 2024.
On the other side of the ball, Taulia Tagovailoa holds eleven different program records and enters the season with a chance to cement himself among the best ever to wear a Maryland uniform. Tagovailoa has thrown for 44 you downs and nearly 7,000 yards over the last two seasons with a deep unit of wideouts at his disposal, but it isn’t just the wideouts.
Corey Dyches was also selected and is the lone veteran leading Maryland’s tight end room into 2023 with Kevin Sumlin coaching the unit. Dyches posted 494 receiving yards and four touchdowns last fall as the versatile receiving threat is in line for a big role this fall.
Via release:
Last season, the Terps had four seniors on the watch list and three that participated in the game (CB Jakorian Bennett, OL Jaelyn Duncan & K Chad Ryland). All three were drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Reese's Senior Bowl is widely regarded as the preeminent college football all-star game and the first stage in the NFL Draft process. The longest continual-running all-star game has taken place in Mobile, Alabama the past 74 years. More than 900 NFL personnel, including key decision-makers from all 32 teams, and over 1100 media members from around the country were credentialed this year. This past April, the game produced 100 total picks for the third straight year, representing 40 percent of the entire NFL draft, including 40 selected on the first two days. This year's game will take place on Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. EST on the NFL Network. Other Terps that have played in the Senior Bowl and have gone on to get drafted in the NFL include Darnell Savage Jr., Byron Cowart, Quinton Jefferson and Sean Davis. Related Links Maryland becomes latest offer for New Jersey ATH thanks to unique relationship (+)