Maryland is heading into the 2026 season with a different kind of energy, and the numbers back it up. With the opener about two weeks away, the Terrapins are bringing back 71% of their production from last season - the highest figure in the Big Ten - and that return has become part of the story around a team trying to move on from consecutive four-win seasons.
That was the backdrop for a recent Big Ten Network conversation with members of the program, who spent time breaking down the offseason, the transfer additions, the incoming class, the returning pieces, and the way fall camp has unfolded so far. The mood around the team is one of unfinished business, especially after a 2025 season in which a group heavy on true freshmen kept battling even when the results never caught up.
Former Michigan tight end Jake Butt put that return to work in a blunt frame, saying it showed an "Instead of running, they said, I want to come back and fix it here" mentality regarding that production coming back another year.
Head coach Mike Locksley said camp has reached that point in August where the wear starts to show, but he likes what he’s seeing anyway. He pointed to the intensity his team has maintained and said the work up front has stood out.
"It's that third or fourth week of camp, when camp legs have come upon us, " Locksley said. "I really like the intensity that we've been able to keep throughout the camp.
The depth we've created on our O-line and D-line has been evident when you watch us practice in the last few years to see these guys kind of grow up. Also, to see the run game has been really good to see."
Locksley also returned to a point he made at Big Ten Media Day: this is still a young roster learning how to turn promise into results after the program’s three straight bowl trips from 2021-2023. Last season forced patience, and this offseason has been about getting that same group over the hump.
The addition of offensive coordinator Clint Trickett is another piece Locksley praised. He pointed to Trickett’s time at FAU under Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr., as well as the run game at Jacksonville State, and said those influences fit the direction Maryland wants to go. That connection also ties back to sophomore quarterback Malik Washington, who was recruited to operate in a system he and Trickett already knew.
Malik Washington is a big, athletic, strong guy who can run the ball, which adds another element. For guys like DeJuan Williams, Iverson Howard, Jordan Scott, and others, it creates packages where the run game naturally comes in.
Locksley also singled out the value of Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding and Chris Durr Jr., while noting Kaleb Webb’s comfort in the system in year two. He added that tight end Dorian Fleming and others give Maryland the chance to build multiple looks around Washington without changing the core of what the offense wants to do.
As for Washington himself, Locksley described a clear rise from his first season to his second. He said the quarterback didn’t arrive trying to seize control immediately, but instead earned his place. Now, Locksley sees this as Washington’s team, with a spiritual base from his family and a louder presence in holding teammates to the standard.
To watch the full interview on Maryland's 2026 Fall Camp, click here.
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Maryland Has The Talent But One Problem Still Follows This Team
Maryland heads into 2026 with a roster that looks more intriguing than the records around it suggest. Michael Locksley has a sophomore quarterback in Malik Washington to build around, DeJuan Williams returns to the backfield, and the defense has a wave of young pass rushers in Sidney Stewart, Nahsir Taylor and freshman Zion Elee. After back-to-back 4-8 seasons, the Terps have enough talent to believe the pieces are there, but only if the program can turn promise into something more stable over the course of a season.
The bigger question is the one that has shadowed this group for a while now: whether Maryland can finish games the way it needs to. The Terps are still trying to shake the uneven stretches and late-game breakdowns that kept them from taking a step forward, and the opening stretch will matter as they try to set a different tone in September. For a team still searching for consistency, the task is less about proving it can flash and more about showing it can hold up when the season gets stressful. [Read more 🡒]