Several Maryland Football Players Hit Transfer Portal, One Declares for NFL, While Portal Target Surfaces

With the offseason now in full swing, player meetings have started for Maryland football which means the beginning of the portal frenzy is upon Terp fans once again. News surfaced on Wednesday afternoon that tight end CJ Dippre will elect to hit the transfer portal when the window opens on December 5. The former three-star prospect in the 2021 class played a prominent role in Maryland’s offense this season, finishing fifth on the team with 314 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 30 catches. Alongside Corey Dyches, Dippre was expected to be a key contributor in a revamped passing attack next offseason before his situation materialized over the last two weeks. Hours before Dippre announced, his former roommate and tight end Weston Wolff announced he’ll hit the portal after playing in the first two games this season. It’s not a surprise that the outgoing tight end transfers came one day after reports surfaced that position coach Mike Miller was leaving the staff to head to become the new offensive coordinator under Biff Poggi. The rising coordinator led the recruitment of both Wolff and Dippre out of high school, but the tight end room will still have veteran Corey Dyches next season with Leron Husbands, Preston Howard, Dylan Wade, AJ Szymanski and possibly more replenishing the room. Offensive lineman Ja’Khi Green was first to announce his intent to transfer on Tuesday, kicking off a flurry on announcements from linebackers Kam Blount and TJ Butler, defensive back Jayon Venerable along with defensive end Zion Shockley. On Wednesday, veteran linebacker Ahmad McCullough announced he’ll spend his final season of eligibility elsewhere after playing in every game this season. McCullough finished fourth on the team with 45 tackles this season and was one of ten players to record at least one sack. The former Mount St. Joe's product was recruited to Maryland by the previous staff and became an integral part of the linebacker rotation over the last three seasons. The attrition didn’t end there as Jacob Copeland announced he’ll forego both the upcoming bowl game and his senior season and head to the 2023 NFL Draft, becoming the first player to formally announce his decision. Junior receiver Rakim Jarrett has hinted since the final whistle following the season finale against Rutgers that he's played his last game in College Park, and the Terps could be without both Jarrett and senior receiver Dontay Demus for the bowl game in addition to Copeland. As for Copeland, the former four-star prospect elected to hit the transfer portal from Florida last winter and 24 hours later, he was on campus for an official visit. He joined the program to bolster a strong receiver room and played in every game this season as he finished with 376 yards and two touchdowns on 26 catches. With a need to replenish the receiver room next season, Maryland’s first public portal target has surfaced with the staff one of many schools to offer former Austin Peay WR Drae McCray. The 5-foot-9, 177-pound sophomore finished with 76 catches for 1,021 yards and nine touchdowns this season and would have two more years remaining. Additional outgoing transfers are expected through the rest of the week. Related Links Pair of second-team selections highlight 13 Terps on All-Big Ten teams VIP: Offseason in full swing, upcoming OVs, four-star update (+) Maryland basketball dominates Louisville on the road Maryland lands its first 2024 commitment Maryland assistant expected to become OC elsewhere Jahn Lamothe talks senior year, fit, development