USC’s final regular-season home date arrives Nov. 21, and Maryland is the last Big Ten visitor to walk into the Coliseum this year. The Trojans and Terrapins have already produced one tense finish in this brief series, with Maryland edging USC 29-28 two seasons ago after the Trojans let a fourth-quarter lead slip away.
That game was the first time the schools had ever met. Since then, Maryland has stayed in the same place in terms of coaching stability, at least for now.
Mike Locksley is still on the sideline despite a 37-49 (.430) record in College Park, and after back-to-back 4-8 seasons there was no certainty he’d be back for a ninth year. He survived, helped by the stretch before the skid: consecutive eight-win seasons in 2022 and 2023.
The Terrapins’ 2026 outlook still looks thin. They finished 4-8 overall and 1-8 in Big Ten play, tied for 16th in the conference.
Their final efficiency marks tell the same story: OFEI 98, DFEI 40 and SFEI 50. On the recruiting side, Maryland brought in the No. 40 high school class and the No. 63 transfer class for 2026.
Offensively, the problems showed up in plain sight last season. Maryland struggled to generate much on the ground or through the air against Big Ten competition, finishing No. 9 in yards per carry and No. 14 in yards per pass attempt.
And the program took a hit off the field, too, when defensive back Dontay Joyner was arrested in Harford County two weeks ago. Court records and media reports say he faces charges tied to telephone misuse and electronic communication harassment, and the Harford County Sheriff's Office confirmed the arrest without offering more detail, per InsideMDSports' Jeff Emman.
Emman also noted that Joyner “quickly became one of the most important pieces in the Terps' secondary and was expected to start again this year.” Maryland had been counting on another ball-hawking defense, and Joyner’s situation leaves that picture unsettled heading into the offseason.
The biggest reason for optimism still sits under center. Malik Washington is the focal point of everything Maryland wants to build. As Emman wrote, “The former four-star recruit from Archbishop Spalding (Md.) arrived in College Park with considerable expectations as the highest-rated quarterback signee of the Locksley era,” and his first season as the starter gave Maryland enough to believe there’s a real future there.
Washington threw for more than 2,500 yards and added 303 rushing yards with four scores on 5.4 yards per carry. Emman described how his mobility changed the shape of the offense, writing that Washington “showed the ability to extend plays, escape pressure and create explosive gains with his legs.”
Locksley also moved to reshape the staff after the offense stalled so often. He hired Clint Trickett from Arkansas, where Trickett had just taken over as quarterbacks coach.
Trickett had spent the 2025 season as offensive coordinator at Jacksonville State and helped guide the Gamecocks to a 9-5 record and a Salute to Veterans Bowl win. The former Florida State and West Virginia quarterback also coordinated one of Conference USA’s better attacks, with Jacksonville State averaging 408.7 yards per game, third in the league, and 28.1 points per game, fifth.
For USC, the setup is straightforward. After games against Ohio State and Indiana, Maryland lands on the schedule before the Victory Bell matchup with UCLA. Locksley may still have a path back toward bowl contention, but the source material leaves little doubt about the immediate expectation in Los Angeles: even a better version of Maryland still looks like a game USC should handle at home.
In Other News...
Lincoln Riley Made One USC Staff Decision Fans Should Love
USCs defensive overhaul under Lincoln Riley came with the kind of staff reshuffling that usually sends fans scanning for both stability and upside, and this one delivered a little of each. The Trojans brought in former TCU head coach Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator and added assistants Paul Gonzales and Sam Carter, while also hiring Mike Ekeler to coach linebackers and oversee special teams. In the middle of that turnover, Riley also elevated Chad Savage from inside receivers and tight ends coach to pass game coordinator, a move that reflects how much USC values the work he has done on the trail and in developing players.
Savages rise fits the larger theme of the offseason: USC is trying to strengthen the defense without losing the staff members who have helped build relationships and keep the roster moving forward. Trovon Reed, the cornerbacks coach, was also retained, a sign the Trojans did not want to lose the recruiting momentum and player trust he has built. With Patterson setting the tone on one side of the ball and familiar lieutenants staying in place around him, Riley is trying to strike the balance between a fresh start and continuity, and that is exactly the kind of staff construction fans usually want to see. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces Another Massive Receiver Battle Fans Know Too Well
USC is back in familiar territory with four-star wide receiver Dennis Tuaone, another highly regarded pass catcher weighing the Trojans against Miami in a recruitment that has plenty of moving parts. The hometown Hurricanes have been a major presence from the start, but USC has stayed in the mix after offering him in March and bringing him in for his first unofficial visit in June, giving the Trojans a real chance to sell their own pitch.
For Tuaone, this decision is shaping up around the kind of things elite receivers tend to remember: coaching relationships, the feel of a program, and how each staff fits him long term. Miami has been making a strong case with its ties close to home, while USC is trying to stand its ground in a battle that has already seen the Hurricanes track another former Trojans target. [Read more 🡒]
USC Has A New Penn State Threat To Worry About
Penn State enters the season with a passing game in transition after losing its top five leading receivers from last year, and that leaves a wide-open path for someone to seize a bigger role. One of the names USC has to keep on its radar is Amarion Jackson, a former safety who ended up at receiver because of injuries and now looks like a real option for an offense that needs answers.
Jacksons path is a little different from the usual freshman arrival, since he followed coach Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State after flipping his pledge. He has also turned heads in spring work, which only adds to the sense that he could be one of the more important new pieces in Penn States offense when the matchup with USC eventually comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]