The final three years of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa’s tenure at Maryland could stand as the “glory years” of the offensive line under coach Michael Locksley.
Stability up front defined that stretch from 2021 to 2023, highlighted in the last year by a seamless left tackle transition from Jaelyn Duncan to DJ Glaze — who developed into one of the Big Ten’s best — as Maryland created one of the league’s most potent offenses.
But entering 2025 and year two without Tagovailoa, the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader, the offensive line tells a vastly different story.
The Terps return only two regular starters from a 2024 unit that was entirely rebuilt. Inexperience and last season’s poor play linger, while across the line of scrimmage, a raw defensive front only compounds Maryland’s concerns in the trenches.
In their second-straight campaign with a new signal-caller and a defense trying to rebound from the bottom of the conference, both coaches and players acknowledge the turnover — but also express optimism for growth.
“Unfortunately for us, we hit a cycle where the classes that have taken us to those bowl games were seniors and now left the program,” Locksley said. “We try to put [current players] in some situations this summer that really tax them to have them fail … now that allows them to play football when we start our season.”
With a brand-new offensive line in 2024, Maryland ranked second-worst in Division I FBS in both run blocking and pass protection, according to Pro Football Focus. Only right tackle Alan Herron and right guard Aliou Bah return.
Both endured challenging seasons a year ago. Herron allowed the most sacks and pressures on the team while Bah conceded the third-most pressures and second-most hits.
Center Michael Hershey logged 161 snaps across seven games last year and is expected to assume a starting role despite carrying the third-worst pass-blocking grade on the team in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.At tackle, Rahtrel Perry arrives as a prized transfer from Central Connecticut State, though he never blocked a Power Four opponent during his three seasons in the Northeast Conference.
And guard Isaiah Wright, who has emerged as the unit’s leader this offseason, missed all of 2024 after tearing his Achilles after a transfer from Buffalo. Redshirt freshman Ryan Howerton and incoming four-star Jaylen Gilchrist could see spot starts or fill-in duty, but both bring similar inexperience. Howerton played just 24 snaps last season.
Locksley also added redshirt Carlos Moore Jr. from Elon through the transfer portal. Moore started 10 games at right tackle last season and could compete for a starting role.
“We got a good team — a young team, an inexperienced team — but day by day, you see the development,” Herron said.
Herron said new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has emphasized the run game throughout summer practices. At Maryland’s on-campus media day in July, the 50-year-old coordinator likened the approach to his time with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, when the mindset was to “run the ball down people’s throat.”
But for Maryland to revitalize a ground-attack that finished third-fewest in rushing yards in the Big Ten last season, it will rely on young players. With leading rusher Roman Hemby gone, redshirt sophomore Nolan Ray and redshirt freshman DeJuan Williams are expected to take most of the carries.
“Even though we have quite a few guys that hadn’t played beside each other in games … they’re trending in the right direction,” Hamilton said. “They’re going to give us an opportunity to be able to be multi dimensional in our attack, be able to run the football, protect the quarterback and ultimately give us a chance to win games.”
The other side of the trenches faces far more turnover, though: Maryland loses more than 75 percent of its defensive line snaps from 2024, including each of the top six players by snap count.
Defensive coordinator Ted Monachino admitted the unit is the toughest to sort simply because of its size and the variety of skill sets. With many new options, the challenge is figuring out who fits where — which players can anchor early downs as run defenders and which can provide interior pass rush in obvious passing situations.
Junior Dillan Fontus, who logged 181 snaps last season, returns as the most experienced option up front, while redshirt sophomore edge rusher Neeo Avery and freshman Sidney Stewart are viewed as potential breakout candidates.
Even amid the uncertainty, the coordinator said he sees promise. He described the group as full of “hungry pass rushers.”
“It’s a group that has a number of players that have different traits, and [with] those traits, we can find ways to utilize those traits in a lot of different areas,” Monachino said. “We’ve got to find spots for all of those guys that we think can help us win.”
