The Maryland football team finished its penultimate open practice on Friday. With two weeks before the start of the season, coach DJ Durkin is still working on the team’s depth chart.
Here are three takeaways from the latest training session.
1. The quarterback competition helps the defense
Maryland has four quarterbacks in contention to start opening day at Texas: junior Caleb Henderson, sophomores Tyrrell Pigrome and Max Bortenschlager and freshman Kasim Hill. Maryland’s defense has faced all four passers regularly in practice as coach DJ Durkin and his staff determine who will be the starting quarterback entering the season.
Getting experience against a variety of quarterbacks, with different strengths and weaknesses, has helped the defense prepare for an assortment of offensive styles this year.
“It’s given us a lot of looks at different style quarterbacks,” noted senior outside linebacker Jesse Aniebonam. “Going against [Pigrome] and his speed and other players and their arm strength, different types of things like that has just helped us a lot.”
The sentiment was echoed by defensive lineman Cavon Walker. The senior highlighted the value of Pigrome’s speed, which gives the defense more practice trying to contain a mobile quarterback. Walker said stopping mobile passers was an issue last year, and he thinks facing Pigrome in practice has better prepared the defense for that type of offensive weapon.
Meanwhile, Hill has readied the defense for a more traditional pocket passer who makes plays with his arm rather than his legs.
“He has a beautiful arm with that touch pass,” Walker said.
2. There has been high praise for this year’s freshmen
In every preseason camp at every college in America, you can probably find players and coaches with glowing praise about how their upcoming freshman class is one of the best they have ever seen. However, in the case of Maryland, it might really be true.
247Sports ranked Maryland’s incoming freshmen class as the 18th-best in the nation, ahead of traditional Big Ten powerhouses like Nebraska, Michigan State and Wisconsin. It’s a significant improvement from last year’s 41st-ranked class, which trailed all three of those schools.
Four-star offensive lineman Marcus Minor has been particularly impressive in camp.
“Marcus Minor is going to be a great guy,” Walker said. “His footwork is on point and he’s aggressive. That’s the main things you need as an offensive lineman.”
Meanwhile, senior tight end Derrick Hayward found himself impressed with Hill.
“It’s not often you see a freshman come out and carry themselves the way he does,” Hayward said.
3. We have a kicker competition on our hands
As a junior last season, Adam Greene made 64.3 percent of his field goals. That ranked 11th out of 12 qualified kickers in the Big Ten.
So it’s unsurprising Maryland is in the midst of a kicker competition this summer. Sophomore Mike Shinsky is challenging Greene for the starting spot. Shinsky made a 41-yard field goal last year against Rutgers, the only field goal attempt of his college career.
Durkin said Maryland’s upcoming scrimmage will help determine who earns the starting spot, as it will give the kickers a chance to perform in pressure situations.
“Everything they do right now is being measured,” Durkin said.
