Maryland football entered the 2024 season with a number of personnel questions.
Redshirt junior Billy Edwards Jr., who had only three career starts before the year, took over at quarterback. The Terps had an entirely new offensive line and their secondary had three open starting spots.
The unknowns became clearer as the season went on. The answers to those questions brought a harsh reality.
“The season didn’t meet the standard that we set out,” coach Michael Locksley said.
Edwards got off to an excellent start, throwing for at least two touchdowns and 250 yards in each of the Terps’ first four games. Taulia Tagovailoa, who Edwards replaced, never achieved that feat in his four seasons starting.
The offensive line — featuring three transfers, a former defensive lineman and a redshirt sophomore with zero career starts coming into the year — allowed just one sack a game through the first four games while powering a rushing attack that averaged 4.3 yards a carry with three 100-yard rushing outings.
The secondary also shined early in the year, allowing just five passing touchdowns through four outings with a trio of two-interception games. Redshirt senior Glen Miller and junior Jalen Huskey — both new starters this year — each snagged two picks during that span.
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The strong showings early from each unit led to a 3-1 start, the lone loss a slim three-point defeat to Michigan State. Maryland was on pace to reach a fourth straight bowl game.
Locksley said at the time that his team couldn’t take winning games for granted. They won just one more time the rest of the season.
“We’re not satisfied with how our season went,” senior linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II said.
Edwards took a significant step back following a three-touchdown showing against Indiana, the outing that started a 1-7 end to the Terps’ season. Edwards had seven interceptions and just four passing touchdowns over his final six games.
Maryland’s consistently large deficits forced Edwards to average more than 40 pass attempts a game in that stretch — an unfair task for a player in his first year starting behind a woeful offensive line.
The unit allowed 22 sacks over the final eight contests with four outings of at least three sacks allowed. The offensive line saw three different starting groups during this time, which included two starts for true freshman Terez Davis.
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The Terps also struggled to block consistently in the run game. They averaged just 3.12 yards a carry in the stretch.
The secondary totaled just three interceptions and allowed 17 passing touchdowns over the last eight games after the strong start. Like the offensive line, that unit was a revolving door. Maryland featured seven different starting secondary combinations by the end of the season.
True freshmen Kevyn Humes, Braydon Lee, Judah Jenkins and La’Khi Roland each played significant snaps in certain games, with Roland starting in four.
“When you have an inexperienced group like we have at certain positions, these are unfortunately the growing pains that you have to go through,” Locksley said.
Maryland’s 2024 campaign was a setback for the program. In the new age of the Big Ten, with multi-million dollar NIL budgets allowing programs to turn their rosters over on a dime, the Terps will have a chance to change their fortune in the coming months.
“We’ll learn and grow from this season,” Locksley said. “There’s no doubt about it.”
