The Terrapins football team knew well in advance it would have to replace ever-steady running back Davin Meggett as it prepared for this season.

But if reproducing the production of a four-year contributor weren’t difficult enough, the Terps’ offseason also brought with it added challenges – and departures. Following the transfers of running backs D.J. Adams (Portland State) and Jeremiah Wilson (James Madison), freshman Justus Pickett was the lone experienced running back on the roster.

That doesn’t mean he’s a shoo-in starter. Spring practice has so far featured an emerging competition in the backfield between Pickett and burly running back Brandon Ross, who redshirted last season.

“That’s been a good battle,” coach Randy Edsall said yesterday. “They’ve been switching off with the [first team]. Brandon’s been running real tough and Justus has been running very strong. I thought [Ross] really hit some things up there in the short yardage today and ran a little bit more powerful today.

“They know that they’re competing and they’re competing for repetitions and that’s good. That’s what you want; you want to have that kind of competition at every position.”

The duo will be joined in the fall by highly touted running backs Wes Brown and Albert Reid, whose arrivals will only heighten the battle for touches.

For now, though, the competition is between Ross and Pickett, who rushed for 274 yards and a touchdown last season. Pickett is listed atop the depth chart.

“Justus is probably a little shiftier. Brandon is faster,” Edsall said. “We’re trying to get Brandon to be a little bit more powerful. I thought Justus really did some good things. You can see the difference, you can see where Justus has that experience, and Brandon just doesn’t have that experience right now.”

LEAK INCONSISTENT

Sophomore Marcus Leak surprised many last season when he charged to the top of the Terps’ depth chart before their Oct. 22 game against Florida State.

What brought the 6-foot wideout to that spot is the same thing that now frustrates Edsall: his potential.

Leak showed flashes of promise last season – most notably on his late-game touchdown against the Seminoles – but finished the season with just 12 catches, including zero in four of the Terps’ final five games.

This spring, he again finds himself on top of the team’s depth chart. Yet he’s also struggling with inconsistency – again.

“I’ve kind of seen the same thing, where he’s up and down,” Edsall said. “He’ll have a couple good plays then he won’t have good plays and then, same thing, he’ll come out and have a good practice then a not-so-good practice.

“We just stress with him it’s about doing it every day that you come out here. He’s getting better, but he’s got a lot of potential. That’s that word that you hate to say: potential. But we’ve got to get him to really understand that he has to work hard every play.”

Devin Burns is currently slotted opposite Leak at wideout. The two are backed up by Nigel King and Regis Whittington.

But with the arrival of five-star recruit Stefon Diggs in the fall and senior receiver Kevin Dorsey’s continued recovery from injury, that order remains quite tentatiave five months before the start of the season.

MISSING FACES

The Terps’ injury woes of 2011 haven’t completely gone away as they prepare for the 2012 season. The team will be without defensive end Joe Vellano and linebacker Darin Drakeford for the remainder of the spring, and wide receiver Kerry Boykins likely won’t return, either.

Vellano was shelved by a foot injury last week, while a hard hit in Saturday’s scrimmage has kept Boykins off the field.

Drakeford’s absence, Edsall explained in a YouTube video yesterday, is the result of an academic issue.

With so much time left until the Terps kick off against William & Mary on Sept. 1, Edsall’s not worried about the absences. Instead, he sees them as an opportunity for backups to prove their mettle.

“I don’t worry about that in the spring,” Edsall said. “You’re not looking to have your final product by April 21. I’m grateful that it gives other guys reps and those guys aren’t seriously injured and they’ll be back with us in the fall.”

cwalsh@umdbk.com