Maryland’s roster has been turned over again, but the swing piece in 2026-27 may be the one transfer with the biggest ceiling: D. J. Wagner.
That’s the bet as Buzz Williams tries to steady the Terrapins after a rough follow-up to their Sweet Sixteen run in 2025. Maryland slid to 17th in the Big Ten and finished 12-21, a start that hardly matched the expectations around Williams in his first season in College Park. The job only gets more difficult now that more talent has walked out the door.
Darius Adams entered the transfer portal, while David Coit, Elijah Saunders, and several others moved on because their eligibility expired. Maryland does still have a couple of important holdovers in Andre Mills at guard and Pharrel Payne in the frontcourt, though Payne missed almost all of last season because of a hip injury.
The rest of the group is a mix of freshmen and transfers, and there are some real pieces there. Tomislav Buljan arrives after averaging a double-double as a freshman at New Mexico and is expected to take on a major role. The backcourt also got a boost from Michael McNair, a proven scorer from Boston University, and Bishop Boswell, who comes in after Tennessee’s Elite Eight run.
Still, Wagner is the name that stands out if you’re looking at pure upside.
The 6-foot-3 guard from Camden, New Jersey came into college as one of the elite prospects in the class of 2023, but the results have not fully caught up to the reputation. He played for John Calipari at Kentucky before spending the last two seasons at Arkansas, and his junior year went backward.
Maryland is banking on the version of Wagner that can attack, create, and keep the offense moving. As a sophomore, he averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 assists per game, and that’s the kind of production the Terrapins are hoping to get back - or even build on - if he can come closer to the Top 10 recruit status that once made him such a big-name addition.
He may not end up as Maryland’s top scorer. If Payne is healthy or Buljan adapts quickly to the Big Ten, that could go elsewhere.
But Wagner’s value is different. If he hits, he can be the piece that changes the shape of the season and gives Maryland a real path back to the NCAA Tournament, with a chance to work its way into the national conversation as well.
It all comes down to what Wagner does in his senior season, his first college year without Calipari guiding the way.
In Other News...
Maryland Faces A Huge 2026 Question Around Malik Washingtons New Target
Maryland enters 2026 with a familiar kind of optimism around Malik Washington, who should get the benefit of a second year as the full-time starter after handling the job well as a sophomore. The bigger question is what the passing game looks like around him after the Terps had to rebuild their receiver room and spend the offseason leaning on portal help, even as three offensive linemen return and veteran guard Tellek Lockette arrives to stabilize the front.
Naeem Abdul-Rahim Gladding and Chris Durr Jr. are the new faces most likely to shape that answer, with Maryland counting on both transfer receivers to matter right away. The tight end room also gives Washington some security with Preston Howard and Dorian Fleming back, plus a mix of young options, but the offense still needs one of the newcomers to emerge as the clear go-to target as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]