Maryland opens the 2026 season Saturday night in College Park with a familiar kind of pressure: expectations. The Terps are coming off a year in which they returned a huge chunk of their roster, and that continuity has them carrying real buzz into their official opener against Hampton.
The matchup also extends a long trend for Maryland. The Terps have won 15 straight season openers against non-conference opponents heading into 2026, the third-longest streak in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State’s 25 and Michigan State’s 16. Hampton arrives with one game already under its belt, but for both teams this will be their first meeting.
Michael Locksley’s group is built around experience and star power. Maryland football returns 71 percent of its production from last season, a figure that ranks second nationally behind only Notre Dame. On offense, the headliner is quarterback Malik Washington, while 5-star defensive recruit Zion Elee is the name drawing the most attention on the other side of the ball.
The offense brings back 68 percent of its production from 2025, which ranks No. 17 nationally. Washington, then a true freshman, completed 273 of 473 passes for 2,963 yards and 17 touchdowns while setting Maryland freshman records for completions and passing yards in a season.
He’s not the only important returnee. All-Big Ten tight end Dorian Fleming is back, as is starting running back DeJuan Williams.
Last season, Washington set the freshman mark for passing yards, and Williams set a Maryland freshman record for receiving yards by a running back.
Locksley also overhauled parts of the staff during the offseason, bringing in four new coaches. Clint Trickett is the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after serving in the same role at Jacksonville State in 2025, when the Gamecocks went 9-5, won a bowl game, averaged 408.7 yards and 28.1 points per game, and posted Conference USA’s top rushing attack.
Matt Barnes is back for a second stint in College Park and will coach special teams after the past two seasons at Mississippi State, where he was co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Former Terps Randy Starks and Kyle Schmitt also returned home as coaches, with Starks working with the defensive line and Schmitt taking over the tight ends room.
Maryland was busy in the transfer portal, adding 17 newcomers. The Terps brought in three wide receivers in Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding from Old Dominion, Chris Durr Jr. from Wyoming and Ejani Shakir from Independence CC.
They also targeted the defensive line, adding Lavon Johnson from Texas, Derrick LeBlanc from UCF, Armon Parker and Jayvon Parker from Washington. Other additions include RB Harry Dalton III from USC, TE Preston Howard from Auburn, DB Amari Jackson from Boston College, OL Tellek Lockette from Texas State, RB Terrez Worthy from Temple, LB Stephen Dean III from Virginia Military Institute, QB Cardell Williams from Sacramento State, LB Jordan Williams from Rice and QB Jack Capaldi from Fordham.
Among the players Maryland has retained are Stefon Diggs at wide receiver, Chig Okonkwo at tight end and Nick Cross at safety. Byron Cowart, a defensive tackle, was retained on the practice squad.
In Other News...
Malik Washington Faces A Bigger Maryland Test Than Last Year
Maryland is heading into its 2026 season opener with Malik Washington back at quarterback and a roster that looks noticeably different around him. The Terps brought in 16 transfer players to help plug the holes left by departed receivers, and that reshuffling has made fall camp an important proving ground for a passing game that will need new answers early.
Washington has made clear he wants to be more vocal as he takes on a bigger leadership role, and the first signs of that responsibility are showing in how the new pieces are coming together. Maryland has seen encouraging development from the incoming receivers, along with a promising freshman wideout, but the real test will come once the lights come on and the offense has to show it can keep moving without the familiar targets it leaned on before. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Still Waiting On Freshman WR As Serious Legal Case Lingers
Marylands wide receiver room has been operating without freshman Josiah Teasley for the foreseeable future, with the early-year absence tied to legal issues that have kept him out of games. Teasley was found guilty of second degree assault and is set to begin supervised probation in 2026, but his case is still moving through the process as he appeals the conviction.
The situation remains unsettled because Teasley also faces additional charges related to an alleged violation of a protective order, adding another layer of uncertainty around his status. His attorney, Douglas Gansler, is disputing the allegations and says video evidence supports that challenge, leaving Maryland waiting for a resolution before there is any clarity on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]