Maryland is heading into its 2026 football season with a lot more than just a game on the calendar this weekend.
Athletic director Jim Smith said the program is feeling good coming out of camp, the fan experience is getting a major push, and the school is making progress in NIL as it tries to keep its best talent in College Park. He also addressed Wednesday’s decision to bring Dontay Joyner back into the program, saying the move came after team leadership pushed for it.
Smith said Joyner first returned to speak with the team about his situation and how it had affected him, and that moment struck a chord inside the locker room. From there, the leadership group approached Coach Locks and made its case.
“And we're happy he's back in school. We're happy to give him an opportunity to succeed both academically and athletically.
And now he has got to make the most of it because this is a second chance, and he's got to make the most of it. And I give our leadership team on the squad the credit for recognizing ‘hey this is an opportunity to help a teammate and give them an opportunity to come back to the team.’”
The on-field outlook, at least in Smith’s view, looks encouraging. He said camp has gone well, Maryland has come through relatively healthy, and while there was one significant injury early in camp, it came at a position where the Terps have depth. He also pointed to Malik having a strong camp, along with encouraging signs from the running game and the receivers.
“Malik's look good. Look, our running game looks good.
Our receivers look good. There is a lot to like about this team, and I think we're gonna see that unfold over the next few weeks.”
Smith said this year’s camp felt noticeably different from last season’s, which was his first at Maryland, and that he’s eager to see the team in real action once Hampton arrives Saturday.
The season opener kicks off a home slate Smith called “really interesting,” with the regular season running through November and finishing against Penn State. He said ticket sales are already ahead of where they were a year ago, and he expects a strong crowd for Saturday night’s game against Hampton at 8 PM.
“This stadium is our beach bash game with beach rally towels for fans so we're expecting close to - we’re going to have over 40,000 tickets out for this game. It is a Labor Day weekend, but we think we're going to have a really good crowd, great energy, and the students are back. They're really excited.”
Smith also spent a lot of time on what Maryland is trying to improve around the stadium itself. He said the athletic department has focused on the “driveway to driveway” experience, with work done on traffic and parking to make arrival and departure smoother. He also highlighted a new Terp Tank in the general supporter section just above Section 16, and said the goal is to make games more fun in the stands, before kickoff and on the field.
On NIL, Smith said any outside numbers should be taken cautiously because there is no official, accurate assessment of the space. Still, he said Maryland is moving in the right direction and that keeping elite homegrown talent has become a central message.
“I think you got to take those numbers with a little bit of a grain of salt, right? I mean, there's no accurate official assessment of what's going on in the NIL space.
And to answer your question directly, is yeah, we are definitely making some progress, and I feel really good about the direction we're going. I think we talked about this last year, and I don't know if you literally laughed out loud when I said halfway through the season that we were going to keep Malik, or it was just just under your breath.
But I think that was part of the message that we're sending is that we really want to keep our elite talent, our homegrown talent. And I think that's resonated with folks to help us along the way in NIL.
We have a long way to go, but we're making really good progress.”
Smith said the students are back and energized, and he expects that to show up in the stands on Saturday as Maryland opens the year with Hampton.
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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 🡒]
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