2026 brings a big test for Maryland, and the Terps know where the pressure points are before fall camp even gets rolling.
Mike Locksley’s team is bringing back Malik Washington and a hefty chunk of last year’s roster, but that alone doesn’t make the path to a 13th game any smoother. Maryland returns the second most production in the country, trailing only Notre Dame, yet the jump from 4-8 to bowl eligibility still depends on solving a few real problems.
The first one is at receiver, where the room looks almost brand new. Washington’s top three pass catchers from 2025 are all gone, leaving Maryland to piece together a new rotation from transfers and holdovers.
Chris Durr Jr. and Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding arrive as the two most experienced portal additions, and both were the leading targets at their previous stops. Still, they’re moving up from G6 programs into one of the nation’s top two football conferences, so nothing is automatic there.
Kaleb Webb is another name in the mix. The former Tennessee transfer caught 22 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns in his first year in College Park, then closed strong with seven receptions for 77 yards at Michigan State. With this being his final season of eligibility, Maryland had to have a real role in mind for him to keep him around.
Beyond that trio, the Terps are also counting on JuCo transfer Ejani Shakir, former FSU commit Jordan Scott, and four-star redshirt freshman Zymear Smith as depth options.
The run game is another spot that needs work. Maryland’s passing attack was excellent in 2025 - fourth-best in the Big Ten - but the ground game never got going, finishing with just 104.3 rushing yards per game. Only Minnesota had fewer.
The Terps couldn’t land a proven lead back in the portal after ODU’s Trequan Jones backed out of his initial commitment, so DeJuan Williams appears set to stay in the featured role. The Baltimore native ran for 501 yards as a true freshman and was just as important as a receiver, finishing with 45 catches for 426 yards.
Williams should keep handling that passing-game work, but Maryland also lost No. 2 back Nolan Ray to Boston College, which leaves even more of a gap to fill on the ground.
One possible answer arrived late in the summer in the form of Terrez Worthy. The Maryland native and former Temple back had a solid 2024 for the Owls before stepping away from the program last September for personal reasons. Because he used his redshirt and preserved a year of eligibility, he was able to join Maryland in May.
The other names in the backfield are former four-stars Harry Dalton III and Iverson Howard, both redshirt freshmen, along with Maryland baseball convert Liam Wilson. It’s a group that simply doesn’t have much game experience.
Maryland also has a new setup on the offensive side, with Clint Trickett taking over as offensive coordinator after coming in from Jacksonville State and Andre Powell shifting from special teams to running backs coach.
Defensively, the Terps return the fourth most production, and there’s real upside in the front. The bigger concern is the secondary, where the depth chart looks thin.
Jalen Huskey is gone after being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Maryland brought in Amari Jackson from Boston College to fill that spot. On paper, Jackson has the size and background to be a Big Ten corner, but health has been the issue. He started all 13 games in 2023, then played just nine total since.
The Terps also lost La'khi Roland, Braydon Lee, and Kevyn Humes to the transfer portal, all of them rotational pieces. If Jackson’s injury problems show up again, Maryland won’t have much proven help waiting behind him.
That’s the kind of issue that has already hurt the Terps before. In the last two seasons, strong starts were undone by back-to-back 1-8 Big Ten finishes, and injuries forced younger players into bigger roles. The result was Maryland allowing the third most air yardage in the conference.
However it happens, Maryland has to do a better job of keeping opponents from hitting big plays. If it can’t, November could look a lot like the last two years.
In Other News...
Mike Locksley Faces A Make Or Break September At Maryland
Mike Locksley enters the 2026 season with the kind of pressure that tends to settle over a program after back-to-back 4-8 finishes. Maryland has enough pieces to believe it can look different this fall, but the roster also has real turnover to manage, especially at wide receiver after losing its top three targets. New transfers and returning players will be asked to keep the passing game functional while offensive coordinator Clint Trickett tries to give the attack a clearer identity on the ground.
The bigger question may be whether the Terrapins can become more reliable in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Maryland has been searching for a more productive rushing game for a while, and the defense is also trying to get sturdier against the run with help from new recruits and returning leaders. If those areas come together, Locksley can ease some of the heat heading into September. If they do not, the early part of the schedule could turn into a referendum on where the program is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
DeJuan Williams Looks Ready To Become Marylands Offensive Identity
DeJuan Williams spent his redshirt freshman season doing a little of everything for Maryland, and the results were hard to ignore. He played in all 12 games, made nine starts and led the Terrapins in all-purpose yards and receptions among Big Ten running backs, a rare profile for a player still early in his college career.
The bigger takeaway for Maryland is where that production points next. Williams already set a single-season school record for receiving yards by a running back and earned the teams Freshman Offensive Player of the Year award, and now he is positioned for a much larger role in 2026 as one of the offenses central pieces. [Read more 🡒]