Maryland has one of the Big Ten’s headline big men back in the fold, and Pharrel Payne’s preseason recognition says plenty about the expectations around him.
The league office named Payne to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team on Monday, putting the Terps’ fifth-year post player among the conference’s top names before the season even tips. Payne is returning after missing the bulk of 2025-26 because of injury.
Last season was his first in College Park, and when he was on the floor, he made it count. Payne started 10 games and put up 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per night while shooting 62.4 percent from the field (53-85) and 71.9 percent at the free throw line (69-96). He also delivered three double-doubles in those 10 appearances, including 17 points and 14 rebounds at Iowa, 30 points and 10 rebounds against Wagner, and 17 points and 11 rebounds against Georgetown.
Across his college career, Payne has appeared in 106 games with 47 starts, splitting time between Minnesota from 2022-24, Texas A&M in 2024-25, and Maryland last year in 2025-26. He has averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 63.8 percent from the floor.
For Maryland, Payne sits at the center of a rebuilt roster that still brings back two of its top scorers from last season in him and Andre Mills, who averaged 12.2 points per game. The Terps also added DJ Wagner, Tomislav Buljan, and Bishop Boswell among 11 incoming players. Their four-man freshman class, led by Baba Oladotun, is ranked 14th nationally.
Fans will get their first look at the new group on Sunday, October 11, when Maryland plays Georgia Tech in an exhibition game hosted by UMBC at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
The full 2026-27 schedule is already available on www.UMTerps.com, with tip times and television designations set to be announced later this week. More season-long themes, color rush uniforms, and game promotions are also coming soon.
Maryland season tickets are on sale now at umterps.com/JoinTheTradition or by calling 301-314-7060. Single-game tickets and mini-packs go on sale to Terrapin Club donors on Oct. 2 and to the general public on Oct. 7.
Johnny Holliday, Chris Knoche, and Walt Williams will call the action.
The Big Ten’s preseason honors list also included Player of the Year Jeremy Fears Jr. of MSU, along with David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic of ILL, Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney of MICH, Jeremy Fears Jr. of MSU as a unanimous selection, Pryce Sandfort of NEB as a unanimous selection, John Mobley Jr. of OSU, Trent Perry of UCLA, Rodney Rice of USC, and Nolan Winter of WIS.
In Other News...
Maryland Collapse Puts Mike Locksley Questions Back In Focus
Maryland had a chance to build on a promising start against Nebraska, and for a while it looked like the Terps were answering some of the familiar complaints about this team. The offense and defense both showed more life than they had in recent weeks, enough to suggest the game could become a turning point if Maryland could keep the pressure on and avoid the kind of late letdown that has tripped it up before.
Instead, Nebraska seized control after Dwayne McDougle IIIs interception return swung the momentum, and the Huskers rolled from there with 34 unanswered points. The collapse only sharpened the larger concern around Maryland, which has repeatedly been outscored in the fourth quarter, and it put Mike Locksleys future back into the conversation as the season wears on and the questions around the program keep piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Has A Third Down Problem That Keeps Making Everything Worse
Marylands latest Big Ten trip followed a familiar script, with the Terps coming home from Nebraska after a 48-23 loss that stretched their conference skid to 10 straight games. The offense showed a little more life with Dejuan Williams back in the mix, but the ground game alone was not enough to keep the pressure off a unit that spent too much of the afternoon chasing the game.
The biggest problem was the same one that has been sinking drives for weeks. Maryland went just 1 of 14 on third down and has converted only 2 of 30 over the past two weeks, leaving too many possessions dead before they ever had a chance to matter. Add in a defensive front that could not consistently bother the quarterback, and the Terps were left with little margin anywhere on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Let Nebraska Flip This Game In A Brutal Second Half
Maryland had enough early success to keep things interesting, but the game changed fast once Nebraska settled in on defense after halftime. The Terrapins were held to just 95 yards after the break and never found the end zone again, a sharp turnaround for a Nebraska defense that also forced three turnovers and steadily tightened its grip on the game.
The swing really started before halftime, when defensive back Dwayne McDougle turned an interception into a pick-six that gave Nebraska a lead it would not give back. Even with some missed tackles along the way, the Cornhuskers closed it out and moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2016, another sign that this start is looking a little more real by the week. [Read more 🡒]