Maryland is headed to the podium on the final day of Big Ten Media Days, and the Terps will do it with a familiar mix of leadership and questions that still need answers.
Head coach Mike Locksley will be joined by quarterback Malik Washington, offensive lineman Michael Hershey and linebacker Daniel Wingate on Thursday, with Maryland the second team scheduled after Indiana. Locksley’s press conference is set to air live at 12:45 PM ET, and he’ll later appear on the Big Ten Network studio set at 3:15 PM ET. Wingate, Washington and Hershey will follow on the Big Ten Network studio set at 3:30 PM ET.
The setting comes at a time when Maryland is trying to reset the tone after back-to-back four-win seasons and a 2-14 mark in conference play. The Terps were picked to finish 15th in a pair of preseason polls to open the week, but Wingate still managed to earn a vote for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. That came months after Phil Steele named him a Fourth Team All-American.
Wingate’s preseason buzz has hardly come out of nowhere. The Athletic also listed him and punter Bryce McFerson as preseason Second Team All-Big Ten selections, and Wingate enters 2026 as the kind of player who can define a defense. The Pallotti standout is set to anchor a front seven that should be deeper up front in 2026 than it was in 2025, and he’s one of several Maryland players drawing NFL Draft attention, along with Jamare Glasker and Amari Jackson on defense.
Hershey brings his own weight to the conversation. He’s heading into his second full season as the starting center and is the player holding together the offensive line identity Maryland has built around since he arrived in June 2024. The Athletic ranked the Pennsylvania native and former wrestler as the eighth-best draft-eligible center ahead of 2026.
Then there’s Washington, who already sits inside the top 20 in program history in career pass attempts, completions and passing yards. Year two gives the sophomore a chance to sharpen his efficiency while continuing to be a threat with his legs, too.
For Maryland, this week also marks a clear shift toward fall camp, which begins Aug. 5. And with Locksley bringing back more production than he has in years - the most since 2022, when Maryland returned 72% of his roster - the 2026 message feels especially important.
Two years ago, Locksley said the program was in a place where "we can compete for championships," and now he’s working with a roster that again has a chance to feel stable. The defense looks strong, the quarterback situation offers optimism, and the Terps retained enough of last year’s group to believe chemistry can carry over instead of being rebuilt from scratch.
Offensively, the biggest change is on the headset. Clint Trickett has replaced Pep Hamilton as offensive coordinator, and fall camp will be the first real chance to smooth out the wrinkles while giving Washington room to build on a strong spring. With Trickett expected to bring more tempo and his own personality to the offense, Locksley, Washington and Hershey will be asked to explain how Maryland plans to become more efficient in 2026 than it was in 2025.
That’s the backdrop for Maryland’s day in the spotlight: a veteran coach, a quarterback with room to grow, a center who anchors the line, and a linebacker who keeps showing up on preseason lists. The Terps may be picking up the microphone in Indianapolis, but the real work starts when camp opens in August.
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Maryland Football Is Headed Into A Defining Offseason Moment
Marylands offseason conversation is about to move from the practice field to a much bigger stage, with head coach Mike Locksley set to take part in the 2026 Big Ten Media Day in Chicago alongside Malik Washington, Daniel Wingate and Michael Hershey. It will be Locksleys eighth season on the job, and the setting should give the Terrapins a chance to frame what comes next after a 4-8 finish in 2025.
There will be plenty for him to address, from the arrival of new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett to the mix of returning players and incoming transfers shaping the roster. The bigger picture is just as important for Maryland, though, because this is the kind of offseason checkpoint where the programs direction gets measured in public, and where the questions around the teams future can start to feel as significant as anything happening on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Washington Just Embraced The Maryland Role Fans Needed
Malik Washington enters his second season as the face of Marylands offense, and the job description is changing along with the unit around him. After a freshman year that produced nearly 3,000 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, Washington is now being asked to do more than just move the ball. Under new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett, the Terps are shaping a different offensive identity, one built around Washingtons mobility and a revamped receiving corps.
For Maryland, the appeal is obvious: Washington already proved he can handle the spotlight, and now the expectation is that he grows into the voice of the offense as well. The quarterback has embraced that next step, with the staff looking for a stronger presence from him as the Terps try to make the transition from promising production to something more complete in 2026. What he becomes in that role may end up mattering as much as any stat line. [Read more 🡒]