Maryland football places three on Athlon's preseason All-Big Ten teams

Ahmed Ghafir
Jul 2
3 min read

Maryland football placed three expected starters on Athlon Sports preseason All-Big Ten teams after linebacker Daniel Wingate, safety Jalen Huskey and tight end Dorian Fleming were all named fourth team selections.

Wingate, one of three players set to join head coach Mike Locksley at Big Ten Media Day in Las Vegas on July 22, is expected to become a focal point in the 2025 defense after flashing as a potential impact piece during his first two seasons in the program. After arriving in College Park as a three-star out of Pallotti (MD), Wingate showed flashes of becoming the next impact piece in Maryland’s defense after learning from Bears rookie LB Ruben Hyppolite. Wingate finished third on the team with 50 tackles in 2024, while his 6.5 TFLs ranked third-most on the team. His seven tackles and two TFLs vs. Rutgers both set new career highs.

Huskey, also set to attend Big Ten Media Day with Wingate, has settled in and becoming the veteran defensive back as he’s transitioned full-time to safety. Huskey, a transfer addition from Bowling Green in 2024, arrived in College Park as a cornerback before making the position switch to safety the week of the Minnesota game, finishing his first season with the program with 11 starts and 12 appearances.

“A year ago early on, he was tested, and I just saw the kid keep battling,” head coach Mike Locksley said. “Very similar track to what I saw the young guys like Deonte Banks and Tarheeb Still, how they started out rough early in their careers, but as they earned those calluses and they got those scars, you started to see the ability. We saw that out of Jalen Huskey this spring.”

Huskey posted 45 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and four passes defended. He added a career-high ten tackles vs. Oregon and became one of just 22 Power Four players with at least three interceptions in 2024.

“I think I've really embraced my role as a safety and embraced my role as a leader on the defense. I think this move is going to be really positive,” Huskey said after the spring game.

Fleming is the lone new face on the list as the Georgia State transfer and All-Sun Belt selection is expected to become a big piece in the passing attack. Fleming anchors a unit that looks to replace the lost production of Preston Howard and Dylan Wade, though Fleming almost surpassed the outgoing production in 2024 after totaling 49 catches for 558 yards and six touchdowns. Fleming was also named a preseason All-Big Ten selection by Phil Steele.

“Just coming from Georgia State, we kind of run similar offenses and I just see this offense translating easy and I think I fit into what they do really well,” Fleming told IBG about his decision to transfer to Maryland. “Just the fact that he’s proven and produced it down to OJ Howard and plenty of guys at Alabama, so he definitely produces at the tight end position. It wasn’t the Big Ten itself, just giving myself the challenge of taking it on. It’s no knock to the Sun Belt but it is a different level of competition and if I want to get to that next level, the Big Ten is the best place to do it for a tight end.”

Related Links