At the end of offseason practices, the Maryland football coaches have finished the sessions with a simple drill.
It could be a wall-sit. Maybe a plank. Or a push-up position hold. Once they decide, the coaches tell the players and then see who can do it the longest.
“While they’re exhausted, while they already feel miserable,” offensive coordinator Walt Bell said. “Just really find out who wants to be the last guy standing.”
Almost every time, Bell said quarterback Perry Hills has won those contests. And Wednesday morning, coach DJ Durkin announced Hills will have a chance to display that tenacity as the starting quarterback for Maryland’s season opener against Howard on Sept. 3.
“He’s a kid that no matter how bad he feels, no matter how bad those little legs are quaking, if he can barely stand, if he can barely feel himself, he’s going to find a way to mentally put himself in a place where he’s going to be the last guy standing,” Bell said. “He’s always going to find a way to do whatever it takes.”
Bell has recognized those qualities in Hills, who worked with the first team offense through spring practices and fall camp, since he evaluated him in winter workouts. Hills shined in the team’s mat drills with the same effort that has propelled him to become a consistent member of the Champions Club, an incentive system Durkin has implemented to create accountability amongst his players.
Last season, Hills struggled as the program endured a coaching change and turnover at quarterback. He started eight of his nine game appearances, leading the team with 1,001 yards and eight touchdowns and completing 50 percent of his passes.
But his 13 interceptions — second to quarterback Caleb Rowe’s 15 — contributed to the Terps leading the FBS with 29 picks last season, and Maryland posted the lowest team passer rating (90.26) among Power Five programs in seven years.
To earn his role, Bell said Hills had to meet two checkpoints.
The first was limiting mistakes. Bell understood tipped balls resulting in interceptions could happen, but he would not accept unforced errors. He also wanted to choose the top communicator in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage.
“It is going to be the guy that can make the best decisions and lead the team the best way and really manage what we do,” Durkin said at media day Aug. 16. “Every guy has different strengths in terms of what his abilities are talent-wise. We can design our offense based on whatever that is.”
Durkin also said he wouldn’t lend much consideration to the players’ past experiences as the coaches have been evaluating the competition throughout the offseason.
Hills appreciated the motivation.
“Guys starting won’t get complacent, and guys training, they won’t sit down and say, ‘Whatever,'” Hills said. “Then you don’t have people pushing each other, and that’s no good.”
While working to improve, Hills has tried to set an example for the younger quarterbacks. Aside from Rowe, who was sidelined with an injury through the majority of fall camp, redshirt freshman Gage Shaffer and true freshmen Tyrrell Pigrome and Max Bortenschlager shared reps at quarterback.
“I’m busting my butt for you. Let’s give a little more,” Hills said of the message he tried to convey through his effort. “I’ve actually been trying to work on my vocal leadership so guys can hear me out there and know that, ‘Hey, I’ve got your back.'”
Those are the traits, plus the toughness he displayed in the team’s end-of-practice competitions, he’ll bring into the first offensive huddle of Durkin’s tenure as Maryland tries to move past last year’s 3-9 campaign and the mid-season firing of former coach Randy Edsall.
“Perry has embraced this challenge from day one and has put in the work and shown improvement every day,” Durkin said in a release. “He’s grasped our offense and the way we want to do things, and has shown tremendous leadership.”
