Maryland enters the back half of fall camp with more buzz than usual, and the reason is sitting right in front of Mike Locksley’s staff: this team kept enough of its core together to make people look twice.
Wednesday marks the midpoint of camp for the Terrapins, with local media and the BTN crew scheduled to watch practice before the Big Ten Network’s preview show airs at 8 PM ET. It comes at a time when Locksley is heading into his eighth season under heavy pressure, a situation that mirrors some of the spotlight on coaches like Luke Fickell and Lincoln Riley. But the conversation around Maryland is less about the heat and more about whether the roster is finally sturdy enough to turn that pressure into progress.
Locksley and both coordinators have sounded confident about the group they have, pointing to the work done through retention and the transfer portal. That matters for a program that has often seen its roster picked apart. This time, the Terps held onto more of their pieces and patched holes where they needed to.
That’s a big reason there’s real optimism around Maryland as the 2026 season approaches. The big questions remain unchanged: can the Terps get to the program’s first winning record in Big Ten play, and can they get back to the postseason for the first time in three years? Those answers won’t come in August, but the foundation has drawn attention.
ESPN’s Dan Wetzel summed up the appeal by pointing to “a bunch of depth and a bunch of guys coming back” as the reason Maryland could emerge as a Big Ten sleeper.
“They did a good job. Maryland often gets raided in the portal. They did a good job keeping their guys and filling in some spots,” he added.
Wetzel also noted how close Maryland was in 2025, citing the trio of one-score losses through October that helped flip the script on that season. The Terps are 6-8 in one-score games since the start of the 2021 season, but this year’s schedule brings multiple toss-up games that could give them a chance to change that trend.
Quarterback Malik Washington and others have made it clear that finishing games is a priority this offseason. With more continuity, better depth, and a schedule that offers opportunities, Maryland has started to look like the kind of team that could make noise if it can close.
In Other News...
Maryland Just Lost A Veteran Starter Buzz Williams Needed To Replace
Marylands frontcourt planning hit another snag this week as Elijah Saunders moved on after one season in College Park. The graduate student forward had been expected to give the Terps a seasoned presence inside, and his background across San Diego State, Virginia and Maryland made him one of the more experienced options on the roster.
Saunders is eligible for another season after a recent NCAA ruling opened the door for a fifth year, but Maryland no longer has the room to keep him. With incoming recruits and a crowded roster situation already shaping the Terps next steps, the program will have to find another way to fill the veteran role Buzz Williams was counting on. [Read more 🡒]
Former Maryland QB Billy Edwards Jr. Just Landed A Big ACC Role
Billy Edwards Jr. is headed into a spotlight role in the ACC after winning North Carolinas starting quarterback job for the 2026 season. The former Maryland quarterback, who also spent time at Wisconsin before transferring again, beat out the other candidates in Chapel Hill and now moves into a position that will draw plenty of attention from fans who remember his run through College Park.
For Maryland, Edwards latest move is another reminder of how much roster churn now defines the conference landscape, even as the Terrapins keep building around their own standouts. One of those is DeJuan Williams, who has already earned a place on the Doak Walker Award watch list as one of the nations top running backs, giving Maryland at least one offensive name to keep front and center while a former quarterback is preparing to lead someone elses team. [Read more 🡒]