Maryland enters the 2026 season with plenty of outside doubt hanging over it, but there are real reasons to think Mike Locksley’s team can make noise. The Terrapins are heading toward fall camp in late July or early August, and while a lot of media voices have them near the bottom of the Big Ten, this roster has enough pieces to push back against that projection.
Start with quarterback Malik Washington, who already showed he can handle the job as a freshman. He started all 12 games and put up 2,963 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while completing 58% of his throws.
He also added 56 carries for 303 rushing yards and four touchdowns, including a 73-yard run at Rutgers on Nov. 8.
Washington showed he can work from the pocket, make throws, and use his legs to extend plays when things break down.
That said, his season was shaped by problems around him. Maryland never found a reliable run game, never really had a true No. 1 receiver, and the offense faded in second halves. Those issues helped hold the unit back, and they’re exactly the kind of problems the Terps are trying to fix this offseason.
Clint Trickett’s arrival as offensive coordinator could matter a lot there. Trickett comes in with experience around high-end rushing attacks, including a top-five group that averaged nearly 247 rushing yards per game and finished with 32 rushing touchdowns, led by Cam Cook.
Maryland’s numbers last season were nowhere close to that. The Terps averaged 23.5 points per game, which ranked 95th nationally, and 104.3 rushing yards per game, which ranked 122nd.
Their third-down offense and red zone production were also below average.
Help may be on the way in the backfield. Harry Dalton III from USC, Liam Wilson after switching from baseball to football, and Terrez Worthy from Temple give Maryland more options, and they join returning lead back DeJuan Williams. That mix could open up more creative looks for the offense.
The schedule also gives Maryland a path to outperform expectations. Of its 12 games, only Ohio State and USC finished ranked, and Ohio State was the only College Football Playoff team on the slate.
The rest of the Big Ten matchups include Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Illinois. Penn State is in a new era after James Franklin, Nebraska will have a new starting quarterback, and Illinois has struggled against the stronger teams in the conference.
Those are the three games where Maryland may not be favored, while the others look much more manageable.
Defensively, the Terps have a front that could create problems for opponents right away. Zion Elee, Sidney Stewart, and Zahir Mathis headline the edge group, and that trio has the kind of speed and explosiveness that fits Maryland’s 3-4 scheme.
Elee is a five-star recruit, while Mathis and Stewart combined for 13 sacks last season. If that group clicks, it could become one of the more dangerous pass-rushing units in the Big Ten.
Maryland also added more size and experience inside with brothers Armon Parker and Jayvon Parker from Washington at defensive tackle. That should help stabilize the middle and give the edge rushers a chance to do what they do best.
Locksley has support from athletic director Jim Smith after last season’s 4-8 finish, and Smith’s backing comes with a clear belief in what Locksley has already done. Maryland won bowl games in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and now the coach has starters back on both sides of the ball. Washington, tight end Dorian Fleming, offensive linemen Isaiah Wright and Ryan Howerton, linebackers Trey Reddick and Daniel Wingate, and defensive backs Jamare Glasker, Lavain Scruggs, Dontay Joyner, and Messiah Delhomme all give this team a familiar core to build around.
In Other News...
Maryland Fixed Plenty This Offseason But One Familiar Concern Remains
Maryland spent the offseason trying to clean up the parts of the roster that have held it back, and the work was obvious on both sides of the ball. The Terps added high school talent, dipped into the transfer portal and made coaching changes aimed at giving the offense more punch on the ground while also strengthening the defensive line, where the additions of Lavon Johnson and Zion Elee give the front a different look than it had a year ago.
Clint Tricketts arrival as offensive coordinator is part of that broader reset, with the staff clearly betting that a better run game can help steady everything else. Even so, the biggest question around this team has not gone away, because Maryland still has to prove it can put together a more reliable offense when the game tightens and the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]