A reporter asked coach Michael Locksley a simple question after Maryland football’s 48-23 loss to Minnesota — did you expect to be playing this many freshmen back in the offseason? He responded in five words.
“I didn’t, but nobody cares,” Locksley said.
The coach has called his team inexperienced and inconsistent. While he’s said these issues can be fixed, his comments won’t stop his secondary from allowing a Big-Ten-worst 314 passing yards per game, or the offensive line from surrendering relentless pressure.
The Terps’ remaining games come against teams with a combined 24-7 record. At this time two years ago with Taulia Tagovailoa, the Terps were 6-2.
Maryland had hopes of competing for conference championships. Now, they’re nearly devoid of it.
Locksley won’t look past Oregon, Rutgers, Iowa or Penn State as the Terps hunt for bowl eligibility. But that doesn’t mean others can’t start thinking about the upcoming offseason.
Next year’s roster will likely look vastly different. Eleven starters will graduate this spring, including receivers Tai Felton and Kaden Prather, defensive leader Ruben Hyppolite II and safeties Dante Trader Jr. and Glen Miller.
[The Diamondback Sports Digest: Maryland football’s rocky season continues]
Others have decisions to make. Redshirt junior Roman Hemby spoke about hopes of entering the NFL draft before his underwhelming season, Jordan Phillips was arguably Maryland’s highest-rated prospect in the preseason and the transfer portal always looms large.
New faces will play pivotal roles for the Terps next season, but some of their younger current players are gaining invaluable experience now. Several have stepped into the lineup over the past three weeks.
“We lost some guys early that wound up not playing, and some of these younger guys got opportunities, and those are the ones where they have to take advantage of it,” Locksley said.
Maryland’s secondary features three underclassmen — Lavain Scruggs, Kevis Thomas and Kevyn Humes — who have played an increased number of snaps lately, according to Pro Football Focus. Freshman edge rusher Trey Reddick played a season-high 29 snaps against Minnesota, with Maryland in search of an improved pass rush.
[Maryland football collapses in 48-23 decimation to Minnesota]
Skill players such as Octavian Smith Jr., Shaleak Knotts and Nolan Ray have slowly seen their role increase while others have been forced onto the field due to injury. Freshmen offensive linemen Terez Davis and Tamarus Walker both played more than 30 snaps against the Gophers, the most of their season.
Those are just players on the current roster. Locksley will likely attack the transfer portal, with an incoming recruiting class ranked the highest since 2021.
The prized recruit, Malik Washington, is already generating excitement.
But it’s unlikely Washington will enter College Park and cure all the Terps’ woes. True freshman quarterbacks rarely start, and when they do, they often struggle. Locksley will need to upgrade his team’s talent to rebound from this season’s struggles, which has left fans disappointed.
While most pre-season expectations placed Maryland near the bottom of the conference, four losses through eight games were unexpected. But one season can be marked as an anomaly, a rebuilding year after losing the program’s greatest statistical quarterback.
If one poor season leads to another, the discussion becomes deeper. Still, these next four games and coming months could reveal a lot about Maryland’s future.
