Maryland’s secondary has taken a serious hit, and the timing couldn’t be worse with the 2026 season on the horizon.
Cornerback Dontay Joyner is no longer with the program after head coach Mike Locksley said the two sides “mutually” agreed he needed a new start. Joyner had already been released weeks earlier after spending 27 days in jail following an arrest in which he was charged with telephone misuse for making repeated calls, electronic communications harassment, and violating release conditions.
“We both met and both decided mutually that he needs a fresh start,” head coach Mike Locksley said.
Locksley went further in explaining the decision, saying, "This summer really was not a good thing for him, not a good thing for us. I hate to see him have to go through what he went through, and so based on our conversations, we both have decided that mutually decided that he should find another place.
He has two years of eligibility left. We're helping him find a place to go play.
He's a guy that deserves another chance. We just felt like because of what he went through here in the state of Maryland, he probably needs a fresh shot."
Joyner pleaded guilty to the telephone misuse charge and is taking part in an anger management program while also being barred from any contact with his ex-girlfriend, who was at the center of the incident.
On the field, Maryland is losing one of its more productive defenders. Joyner started in 2025 and finished with two interceptions, including a pick-six against Nebraska, plus 40 total tackles.
Now the Terps will lean on a cornerback group with a very different look. Jamare Glasker and Amari Jackson are expected to lead the room as NFL Draft prospects, while the depth chart behind them will be filled by players trying to establish themselves.
Ricardo Cooper Jr., known earlier in his career as a track standout at Calvert Hall, moved from wide receiver to cornerback before the 2025 season and added mass this offseason. Maryland also brought in three cornerbacks from the high school ranks, with Darrell Carey and Hakim Satterwhite enrolling in January and Zahir Cobb arriving in June with the final group of 2026 signees.
Joyner came to College Park in January 2025 after transferring from Arkansas State. He chose Maryland over Michigan State and North Carolina, with Houston, Georgia Tech and West Virginia also in the mix.
In Other News...
Daniel Wingate Puts Maryland Defense On The National Radar
Marylands defense got a bit of national attention this week when the Football Writers Association of America released its 2026 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, and linebacker Daniel Wingate made the cut among 68 early contenders for the award. It is another sign that Wingates 2025 breakout has carried some real weight beyond College Park, where he played every game, earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition and piled up 102 tackles while anchoring the middle of the defense.
For the Terrapins, Wingates inclusion is less about a preseason honor and more about what it says about the units profile entering the fall. The watch list is only the starting point in the Nagurski race, with finalists due Nov. 19 and the trophy set to be presented Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina, but being mentioned at all puts Maryland on a bigger stage. Now the question is whether Wingate can turn last seasons production into the kind of repeat performance that keeps him in the award conversation all year. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland's Path To March Just Got Much Clearer For Buzz Williams
Maryland has now finished putting together the non-conference portion of Buzz Williams first schedule in College Park, and it gives the Terrapins a fairly clear early-season roadmap before Big Ten play takes over. The slate includes seven home games at Xfinity Center, a pair of games in the DMV, and a Thanksgiving-week trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, giving Williams a blend of familiarity, local interest and a national showcase before January arrives.
The opener comes Nov. 2 against Bucknell, with Georgetown and Virginia among the more notable early tests on the calendar. The Vegas event adds another layer of intrigue because it can shape both the teams profile and its rsum, and for Maryland, that matters plenty when March comes into view. Williams now knows where the opportunities are, and the next step is turning a tidy schedule into the kind of wins that make the path ahead a whole lot easier. [Read more 🡒]