When Maryland football’s 2021 class arrived in College Park, coach Michael Locksley had a shoddy .294 winning percentage. The program hadn’t won a bowl game since 2010.

Over the next three years, the Terps experienced their best stretch since coach Ralph Friedgen’s tenure. Maryland has had its greatest four-year run since the early 2000s — even with this year’s lackluster results.

The Terps’ senior class was at the forefront of the program’s turnaround.

“This is a group that has left a runway for the next few years,” Locksley said.

247Sports ranked the class No. 19 overall in 2021, topping Locksley’s previous class rankings of No. 33 and No. 41, respectively. Locksley hasn’t cracked the top-20 since.

While pieces from the top of the class transferred out of Maryland, the foundation remained over the past four years.

Tommy Akingbesote and Taizse Johnson have keyed the Terps’ defensive line. Dante Trader Jr., the highest-ranked defensive back in the class, has been a mainstay in the secondary the past three seasons.

Running back Roman Hemby has led Maryland’s ground attack since 2022, Colby McDonald carved out a role as a change-of-pace back and wide receiver Tai Felton has turned into one of the best receivers in the country.

“They’ve had an incredible contribution to this program,” Locksley said. “I’m really proud of the way they have laid a foundation for us to build back upon.”

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Akingbesote and Johnson, both four-stars out of high school, have combined for nine sacks and 15 tackles-for-loss over the past four years. They’ve also been impactful forces in the run game — opponents have averaged less than 3.8 yards per carry in each of the past three seasons after averaging over 4 in the previous three campaigns.

Trader, a three-star recruit from nearby McDonogh High School, has appeared in 46 of a possible 50 games since becoming a Terp. He became a full-time starter his sophomore season and has totaled five picks, 16 pass deflections and 185 tackles during his career.

Trader won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after racking up 11 tackles, a pass deflection and an interception in Week 3 against Virginia this season.

After rushing for a touchdown during Maryland’s Pinstripe Bowl win over Virginia Tech in 2021, Hemby carried that production into his sophomore season and has excelled since.

The former three-star totaled 1,287 scrimmage yards, 11 touchdowns and four games with at least 100 rushing yards as a redshirt freshman. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention nominee.

The Edgewood native followed that season with 951 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns in 2023. Hemby helped the Terps become bowl eligible with a 36 yard end-of-game drive that set up a game-winning field goal against Nebraska.

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Hemby’s amassed 796 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns this season, moving up the ranks for the program’s all-time records. He’s tied for fourth in total touchdowns, eighth in career rushing touchdowns and 12th in career rushing yardswith one game left.

McDonald, a slightly higher three-star recruit out of high school than Hemby, played more than his position mate as a freshman. He had a 99-yard rushing performance against Rutgers to help Maryland secure bowl eligibility in 2021, and he’s since been a secondary option in the ground game but has totaled 921 yards and six touchdowns in his career.

Felton, despite only being a three-star prospect, has emerged as the best recruit in the class.

He’s increased his production every year and broke out midway through last season as a full-time starter. The Virginia native racked up 134 receiving yards and three touchdowns against Indiana en route to a 723-yard campaign.

Felton started his senior season with four-straight games of at least 100 yards, adding at least one touchdown in each. He’s since become the program’s leader in single-season receptions and a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.

Felton has been the Terps’ best player this season, regardless of age. But the production has come in a disappointing campaign that’s featured four straight losses and a chance for a fifth as Maryland ends its year at No. 4 Penn State on Saturday.

The Terps’ senior class was monumental for the program. They also felt their final collegiate season left more to be desired.

“When we came in we started the bowl streak, and to not finish the right way, it’s definitely frustrating,” Felton said.