Maryland football picked up another preseason honor on Tuesday, with running back DeJuan Williams landing on the 2026 Doak Walker Watch List.
That makes Williams the seventh Terp to show up on a preseason watch list, not counting the Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List. It’s a fitting nod for a player who is poised to take on a bigger load in his third season with the program.
Williams, a Baltimore native, already made his mark as a pass-catching weapon in 2025. His 426 receiving yards broke Bruce Perry’s program record for a running back in a season, and his 45 catches were the most by a Maryland back since Allen Williams had 51 in 1994. He also finished with 927 all-purpose yards, tops among the team’s skill players last season.
The rushing production never fully took off, though. Williams didn’t top 70 rushing yards in any game, sharing the workload with Nolan Ray, who is now at Boston College.
For Williams, 2025 was his first full season in College Park after arriving in Jan. 2024 while recovering from a torn ACL that cost him his senior year at St. Frances. Mike Locksley said the redshirt sophomore is “finally catching his stride” heading into 2026.
Maryland will be counting on that growth as it tries to sharpen its run game, with Hampton set to arrive in College Park on Sept. 5.
Williams figures to be a key piece in that effort, alongside Iverson Howard, Harry Dalton and Terrez Worthy. Offensive coordinator Clint Trickett and Locksley have also pointed to Malik Washington’s ability to use his legs in 2026.
The only other award listed was the Ray Guy Award, with punter Bryce McFerson included there.
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Now the attention shifts to how Maryland replaces that pressure without asking too much from one player. Locksley said the staff believes the room has enough depth to absorb the blow, and the next wave includes DD Holmes, Nahsir Taylor and Zion Elee, all of whom could be asked to take on bigger roles sooner than expected. For a defense that wanted Mathis setting the tone on passing downs, the challenge is no longer about adding depth, but proving it. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Fall Camp Hype Now Puts Real Pressure On Locksley
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Marylands NFL Pipeline Just Put New Pressure On Two Terps
Marylands recent run of NFL attention got another boost with two more Terps landing on the Senior Bowl Top 300 list. Linebacker Daniel Wingate and offensive lineman Rahtrel Perry were both recognized among the draft-eligible college players whose production and traits suggest they can handle the next level, a nod that says as much about their individual seasons as it does about the programs growing reputation for sending talent to the league.
For Maryland, the inclusion of Wingate and Perry adds another layer to a pipeline that has quietly become one of the programs stronger selling points. It also puts a sharper spotlight on what each brings to the table, with Wingate emerging as a defensive anchor and Perry earning notice for the kind of steadiness and edge work NFL evaluators tend to value, all while their draft cases continue to take shape. [Read more 🡒]