Maryland’s offensive line enters 2026 with a strange mix of promise and unfinished business.
On paper, the Terps have a group that helped protect the quarterback at a high level last season, giving up just nine sacks - the lowest total by any Big Ten team since 2020. But the deeper dive tells a different story, especially when the run game comes into focus.
For the second straight year, the line was one of Maryland’s biggest trouble spots, and several of the returning starters posted PFF run-blocking grades in the high 40s to high 50s. Isaiah Wright and Rahtrel Perry had particular issues on the left side, and that showed up in how hard it was for Maryland to run weak-side stretch plays and screens.
The Terps also have to replace some key contributors from that sack-allowing group. Two projected 2025 starters, Aliou Bah and Alan Herron, are gone from College Park, with Bah transferring to LSU and Herron signing a UDFA deal with the New Orleans Saints. Offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski remains in place after joining the staff in 2024, but offensive coordinator Clint Trickett will likely keep pointing to the line as an area that needs to improve in his increasingly “trendy” offense.
Michael Hershey gives the unit its best anchor. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound center returns as one of the Big Ten’s top players at the position and is already on the Rimington Trophy watch list. His 83.5 PFF pass-blocking grade and steady presence mattered for quarterback Malik Washington during his first season running the offense.
Maryland’s other returning starters bring more mixed results. Perry and Wright were part of many of the Terps’ issues in both the run and pass game, and each finished with a 45.0 run-blocking grade from PFF in 2025. Neither graded above 60 on the vertical attack, so real improvement is going to be required if Maryland wants this group to lift the offense as a whole.
There is help on the way, though, and some of it comes from inside the program. Jaylen Gilchrist, a four-star tackle, was expected to be a major addition before his season was cut short by injury after just 18 snaps in the opener against FAU. Amory Hills also has a path to a bigger role after logging a full season of experience; he posted the highest pass-blocking grade of any Maryland player last year and should compete with Ryan Howerton for a spot in the starting mix.
The only transfer addition up front is Tellek Lockette, who could carve out real snaps at guard. He started every game at Texas State in 2024, then was limited to four starts the next season because of nagging injuries.
Maryland also added fresh bodies in the high school ranks. Head coach Mike Locksley brought in four freshman tackles: three-stars Jesse Moody, Day’Jon Moore and Jonathan Panagou, plus unranked Teagan Cox. Moody, Moore and Panagou all stand taller than 6-foot-3 and weigh between 295 and 345 pounds, and all three widened Locksley’s recruiting footprint beyond the DMV, which has become a familiar theme in this class.
Behind the main names, the depth chart has a few pieces that could matter. Trevor Szymanski is back in his center platoon role behind Hershey, while Logan Bennett could factor in at guard after making his first career appearances in 2025.
On the tackle side, Carlos Moore, Davon Watkins and Anthony Robsock all return after combining for nine games and 87 snaps last season, and they should be in line for similar or even bigger contributions during non-conference play. Three redshirt freshman tackles who never got into a game could also get a look in that stretch.
In Other News...
Lavon Johnson's Return Could Change Maryland's Defensive Line Ceiling
Lavon Johnsons path back to College Park has been anything but straightforward, but Maryland will take the version of him it has now. After entering the transfer portal twice, first landing at UNC before flipping to Texas and spending the 2025 season there, the defensive lineman has returned to the Terrapins, drawn back by his connection to coach Mike Locksley and the players he already knew around the program. For a group trying to firm up its front, the move gives Maryland a familiar name with a different level of experience.
Johnson is settling into a new setup on the defensive line under Ted Monachino, and the early emphasis has been less about spotlight plays than about depth and communication. That matters for a Maryland defense trying to raise its ceiling, because a deeper, more connected line can change how much pressure the rest of the unit feels. The question now is how quickly Johnson can turn a winding journey into a meaningful role when the season starts to tighten up. [Read more 🡒]
How Baba Oladotun Could Change Marylands New Look Offense
Marylands new-look offense has already added one of the most intriguing local talents in the region, bringing in forward Baba Oladotun as a major piece of the programs next wave. The Blake High School standout arrives with a decorated prep rsum that includes a state championship and appearances on some of the sports bigger stages, which only adds to the buzz around what he can become in college.
For the Terrapins, the appeal is not just about landing a highly ranked recruit from Maryland, but about how his skill set could fit into an evolving attack. Early projections have already put Oladotun on the 2027 NBA draft board, a reminder that his ceiling is part of the conversation from day one, even as the real intrigue is how quickly he can translate that promise into meaningful production in College Park. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Could Turn Purdues Best Big Ten Chance Into A Costly Mistake
Purdues trip to Maryland on Nov. 7 is shaping up as one of the more revealing games on its Big Ten schedule, and not just because it looks like a rare conference chance for the Boilermakers to get right. The matchup has already drawn attention for how dangerous it could be if Purdue treats it like a routine opportunity, since Maryland brings enough athleticism and offense to make a supposedly manageable game turn quickly.
The concern for Purdue is the same one that follows teams into these kinds of spots: one bad stretch can undo the whole plan. Sloppy turnovers, missed tackles and another slow start would be especially costly against a Maryland team built to punish mistakes, which is why this one has the feel of a game Purdue cannot afford to get comfortable in. [Read more 🡒]