With Maryland’s season opener one week away, the biggest question around the Terps is simple: how high can this roster really climb in 2026?
The answer in this group’s eyes lands somewhere between optimism and caution. There’s a clear belief that Maryland has assembled its best roster in a long time, but the schedule and the depth concerns in key spots make this a tricky team to project. The Big Ten, as the piece puts it, looks brutally deep, and that reality hangs over every forecast.
One view sees a team that starts fast, cashes in on its early opportunities, and then gets worn down late. Another leans into a more specific path: Maryland opens 3-0, gets a major primetime chance against Virginia Tech, and uses that early stretch to build a bowl-caliber season.
That Virginia Tech game keeps coming up for a reason. It’s framed as Maryland’s best shot at a signature win, and the Terps’ home matchup with the Hokies in a Saturday night primetime slot is viewed as the kind of stage where Malik Washington could make a real statement.
The Hokies are described as having questions on the offensive line, and there are also concerns about how former Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer fits into their offense. Brent Pry is back to run the defense for Virginia Tech, but the belief here is that Maryland should have a real opportunity to take advantage.
Malik Washington sits at the center of everything. He’s the projected team MVP because his growth is seen as the single biggest factor in Maryland’s ceiling.
His arm talent, mobility, and ability to create off-script give him the kind of juice that can change games. The big emphasis for him this offseason has been finishing drives and improving in the fourth quarter, which goes straight at a Maryland issue that has popped up too often in recent years.
If Washington takes a true Year 2 step, the Terps become a lot more dangerous. That kind of jump could be the difference between a decent season and one where Maryland steals a game or two it wouldn’t normally get.
On defense, Sidney Stewart is the name to watch. With Zahir Mathis gone, there’s an expectation that Stewart builds on a 2025 season in which he led the team with seven sacks.
The prediction here is a big leap: double-digit sacks, 50-plus tackles, at least two forced fumbles, and no fewer than 50 pressures. That production would put him in first- or second-team All-Big Ten territory.
The schedule gives Maryland a few clear swing points. The nonconference slate is viewed as manageable, starting with Hampton, then a trip to UConn, and then that home date with Virginia Tech.
From there, the real hinge games are UCLA and Nebraska. Splitting those toss-up matchups is seen as crucial if Maryland wants to avoid another season that slides off course in November.
There’s real confidence in the early part of the year, but less certainty once the league schedule deepens. The concern is that Maryland’s secondary losses and pass-rush losses, along with questions about the wide receiver room and general youth across the roster, make it hard to fully trust the Terps to clear the .500 mark by much. The stronger start is expected; the late fade is still very much in the picture.
Still, the path to six wins is there. One forecast has Maryland taking three of four against UCLA, Rutgers, Wisconsin, and Purdue, while another has the Terps finishing with victories over Rutgers on Oct. 17, at Purdue on Nov. 7, and at home against Wisconsin on Nov.
- In both versions, the season ends with bowl eligibility and another trip to the Bronx, where Pitt would be waiting just as it did in 2021.
Another prediction sends Maryland to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against NC State, which would fit the profile of a solid mid-tier postseason slot and an East Coast destination that works for fans. A different bowl path lands the Terps back in Nashville for the Music City Bowl, where South Carolina would provide a strong matchup and a quarterback battle between Washington and LaNorris Sellers.
Either way, the common thread is clear: Maryland’s 2026 season hinges on Washington’s leap, Stewart’s pass-rush impact, and whether the Terps can survive the stretch that has knocked them off track before.
In Other News...
Malik Washington Could Change Maryland's Ceiling Faster Than Expected
Maryland heads into its 2026 regular season with a familiar face and a new test, as Malik Washington returns as the starter after a freshman year that put him firmly on the national radar. He is now entering his sophomore season in a different offensive scheme, which gives the Terrapins both a sense of continuity at quarterback and a chance to see how quickly he can adjust to a fresh system.
Washingtons first season was notable enough to earn positive attention from national media analysts, and the expectations around him have only grown from there. With nearly 3,000 passing yards and multiple touchdowns already on his rsum, Maryland does not need him to be a surprise anymore, just a steady driver of a ceiling that could rise faster than many around the program initially expected. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Roots Helped Shape The Seahawks New Offensive Coordinator
Brian Fleurys path to becoming the Seahawks new offensive coordinator traces back to Maryland, where he starred at Seneca Valley as a high school quarterback and helped lead the program to a state championship in 1997. Long before he was moving through the coaching ranks, Fleury was shaped by a football upbringing that included a stepfather, Terry Changuris, whose own high school coaching success earned recognition from the DC Touchdown Club.
Fleury launched his coaching career in 2003 and has since worked his way through a long list of college and NFL stops before landing in Seattle. For Maryland fans, the connection is a familiar one: another reminder that the states football footprint reaches well beyond its borders, and that one of the leagues newer play-callers came up in a setting where the game was learned early and taken seriously. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Fans Have A New Wrestling Star Worth Watching Closely
High School On SIs first Girls Pound-for-Pound Wrestling Rankings brought a fresh spotlight to the high school girls wrestling scene, and Maryland has a major name right at the top. Taina Fernandez was ranked No. 1 in the inaugural list, a nod to the kind of rsum that stands out no matter the weight class, with her three U17 world championships and a U20 bronze medal leading the way.
The rankings are meant to evolve as the season goes on, using national and international results, head-to-head meetings when available and overall accomplishments. For Maryland fans, Fernandez is now the standard-bearer in a space that is getting more attention by the week, and her position at the top gives the Terrapins another reason to keep an eye on a star whose profile already stretches well beyond state lines. [Read more 🡒]