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As the Maryland Terrapins football team enters its second week of spring practice, many people are beginning to wonder what the Terps’ offense will look like in 2013. After QB C.J. Brown went down with a torn ACL before the 2012 season began, freshman Perry Hills was forced into a starting job. Hills ran the offense as best he could, but offensive coordinator Mike Locksley had to simplify the playbook a lot to even have a serviceable system. Locksley’s offense is based heavily around the read-option, something Hills simply couldn’t run as a pocket passer.
In 2013, the Terps will have three mobile quarterbacks. C.J. Brown, Ricardo Young, and Shane Cockerille. All have the ability to run Mike Locksley’s read-option offense well. Brown enters the season as the favorite to start, as he has the most experience. Young is impressing many people in spring camp, but looks too inconsistent to run a college offense at the moment. Cockerille is raw, and will likely be redshirted.
Running back will also be an important position in 2013. Running the read-option not only requires a mobile quarterback, but a solid running back to keep defenses honest. The Terps will have two very capable running backs in Brandon Ross and Wes Brown. Both shared time running the ball in 2012, and should work well as a two-headed tandem in the backfield. Ross is more of a speed back than Brown, and both should be able to use their talents well in Locksley’s system.
Randy Edsall and his staff may have one of the better wide receiving corps in the nation in 2013. Stefon Diggs took College Park by storm as a freshman in 2012, and he will have an even bigger role in the Terps’ offense in 2013. Marcus Leak returns for his junior year after tearing his ACL in 2012, and hopes to continue what is shaping up to be a solid career at Maryland. Nigel King is already impressing coaches in spring camp, and the sophomore hopes to build off of a very good end to the 2012 season.
The Class of 2013 adds two more extremely talented receivers to the mix. The star of the 2013 class is junior college transfer Deon Long. After many stops at multiple colleges around the country, he is back home in Maryland where he was a high school student at Dunbar. He brings electrifying speed and great hands to the field in College Park, and projects to start alongside Diggs and Leak. 3-star recruit Taivon Jacobs (brother of sophomore WR Levern Jacobs) also hopes to find playing time as a freshman in this logjam of wide receivers. Jacobs also brings very good speed to Byrd Stadium, but may redshirt this season due to a recent knee surgery.
The Terps lost 3 tight ends to graduation in 2013, and have a bit of a hole to fill at that position. Matt Furstenburg, Devonte Campbell, and Ryan Schlothauer were listed as the top 3 tight ends on the 2012 depth chart, and all have departed from College Park. Dave Stinebaugh is the only tight end on the roster who saw the field in 2012, and that was on special teams. The class of 2013 brought the Terps 4-star TE Andrew Isaacs from Manchester, CT and he projects to see immediate playing time. However, expect the Terps to use a lot of receivers in 2013 and not as many tight ends while Isaacs and the other tight ends learn the offense.
Overall, look for Mike Locksley’s offense to be fast-paced and laden with receivers. C.J. Brown will be allowed to play to his strengths, and use the spread-out field to do his thing with his legs in open space. As long as the offensive line can hold their own, this offense could be one of the more explosive offenses in the conference.
Terps Analyst
Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: zack.kiesel@baltimoresportsandlife.com.