Fall Camp Storylines: What to Watch For

The Maryland Terrapins football team will begin their fall camp a few days from today, and there are plenty of things to watch for before the team opens their season at home against Richmond on September 6th. While head coach Randy Edsall has been busy locking up big-time recruits for the future, the team in College Park is focused on the 2015 season. They will have a lot of work ahead of them, as they will face one of the toughest schedules in the country. Let’s take a look at what Maryland fans should be watching for over the next month.

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The Quarterback Competition

This is the most important competition that will occur during fall camp this season, as Edsall recently announced a 3-way battle for the starting quarterback job. Senior Caleb Rowe is expected to be the front-runner for the job, as he had been C.J. Brown’s primary backup for the last two seasons. He has the most experience in offensive coordinator Mike Locksley’s system, and did fairly well in his limited action last season. Redshirt senior Daxx Garman is expected to grab the backup job behind Rowe after transferring to College Park from Oklahoma State in the spring. He has the most starting experience of any quarterback on the roster, but lacks the experience in Locksley’s system that the others have. He is very similar to Rowe, a gunslinger without a whole lot of mobility who can make the big-time throws but struggles with his accuracy on shorter throws. The final quarterback in the competition is redshirt junior Perry Hills. It was a bit surprising that Edsall decided to add his name into the battle, as most people expected it to be a two-way battle between Rowe and Garman. Nevertheless, Hills brings a good amount of experience with him to the competition. While he hasn’t started a game since the 2012 season, he led the Terrapins on a very impressive touchdown drive in last season’s homecoming game against Iowa after C.J. Brown went down with an injury. He will likely see himself as the number three quarterback when the team enters the 2015 season.

The Running Back Competition

Another year, another running back competition for the Maryland football team. For the last few seasons, Edsall and Locksley have entered fall camp with a multi-way battle at the running back position. This year is no different, as Wes Brown and Brandon Ross will be competing for the starting running back job. If history is any indicator, Ross will win the job while Brown plays a fairly large role off of the bench. Ross brings a very diverse skill-set to the position. He is physical enough to run between the tackles, quick enough to run outside the tackles, and has enough ball skills to catch the ball out of the backfield. He is also a very good pass-blocker, making him a perfect every-down back for the Terrapins. Brown brings a much more physical skill-set, which will certainly help the team this season now that there is no dual-threat quarterback taking the snaps. He will definitely be Locksley’s short-yardage and goal line back, but should also see a good number of carries in relief of Ross. I would expect the carries to be split about 60/40 between Ross and Brown this season.

The Flanker Competition

The starting flanker job is the only wide receiver position that is still being competed for this season. Malcolm Culmer and Taivon Jacobs have both seen significant playing time at flanker over the last two seasons, and will be battling each other for the starting job in 2015. Jacobs was expected to start there last season after his brother Levern was suspended for the year. However, he suffered a season-ending injury in the team’s first game against James Madison. Culmer saw significant playing time in 2013 in relief of Nigel King, the starter at flanker. Both players possess good speed and agility, but Jacobs may be the fastest player on the team. I’d expect him to win the job this season, playing alongside his brother, who will be starting in the slot.

The Offensive Line

Much of the talk during the off-season has been about the Terrapins’ new offensive line. Every single player has gotten bigger and stronger under the direction of offensive line coach Greg Studrawa. They believe that they are ready to take on the bigger defensive lines of the Big Ten Conference. The team’s first depth chart lists redshirt junior Michael Dunn as the starter at left tackle, where he started for the majority of last season. However, that may change when redshirt freshman Derwin Gray returns from injury, as the former 4-star recruit is likely ready to start for the Terrapins. Redshirt senior Ryan Doyle has moved inside to left guard this season, and likely has that job locked up. Redshirt senior Evan Mulrooney is back after suffering a nasty viral infection that kept him out for the majority of last season. He’ll be starting at center this season. Redshirt senior Andrew Zeller is one of Maryland’s more underrated players, and will be starting at right guard this season. Finally, redshirt freshman and former 5-star recruit Damian Prince is expected to start at right tackle in 2015.

During the team’s annual Red-White Spring Game, Locksley debuted a very different offense than what we had seen over the last few seasons. The quarterbacks were under center a lot more, and there was a lot more power-style running from the offensive line. With a bigger, stronger offensive line and some bigger running backs, expect the Terrapins to move to a more pro-style, power-based attack this season. This offensive scheme relies heavily on the pure strength of an offensive line, so watch for how well the line does at pushing defensive linemen off their marks in camp this month. They will need to be dominant this season for the Terrapins to be able to put up points against their Big Ten opponents.

The Nose Tackle Competition

While the Terrapins have made the move to a 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Keith Dudzinski, they will still operate with a nose tackle. I expect the team to use a primarily 4-3 over scheme, which is what they showed most of in the Red-White Spring Game. This scheme allows a defense to feature two excellent pass-rushers while linebackers focus more on coverage than run-stopping or blitzing. There is only one position on Maryland’s defensive line that is being competed for, and that is the starting nose tackle job. Sophomore David Shaw is the front-runner for the job, as he saw a good amount of playing time last season and was impressive in his freshman campaign. Redshirt sophomore Kingsley Opara will battle Shaw for the job, but lacks the experience that Shaw gained last season. Both players are very strong, and certainly possess the physical attributes necessary to play the position. However, their lack of experience and youth will be tested this season.

The Strong-Side Linebacker Competition

The Terrapins only have three linebacker positions in their new 4-3 defense, and there is just one that features a competition this season. The strong-side linebacker position usually features the biggest and strongest linebacker on the roster, as he is relied on primarily to stop the run and cover tight ends. He is usually the one taken off of the field in nickel and dime situations. Redshirt sophomore Jalen Brooks will be competing with redshirt senior Jefferson Ashiru, who transferred to Maryland from Connecticut before the season. This will be a very intriguing battle, as both players are very talented and more than capable of excelling at the position. I would expect Brooks to grab the starting job, but this is a battle that will likely come down to the wire.

The Defensive Backfield

Likely the Terrapins’ most talented unit, the defensive backfield will see four very talented players covering the Big Ten‘s receivers. Junior William Likely will start at cornerback, and may very well leave for the NFL after this season. He plays much larger than his 5-foot-7 frame, and has the ball skills to take any interception to the house. Senior Sean Davis moves down from safety to cornerback this season, and was named to Phil Steele’s Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team for the 2015 season. His size and play-making abilities make him an excellent choice to play across from Likely. Senior Anthony Nixon will start at free safety for the third straight season, his coverage abilities making him one of the more underrated players on the team. After being suspended last season, redshirt senior A.J. Hendy will start at strong safety. He is a very diverse player, able to provide run support like a linebacker and cover receivers like a cornerback. He also possesses excellent ball-skills. This is a unit to watch for, as the Terrapins could force a lot of interceptions this season.

The Punter Competition

While there are certainly many more interesting battles to watch for during fall camp (see above), there is a three-way competition going on for the starting punter job. I expect freshman Nicholas Rubinowicz to win the job, as he was a very highly-ranked punter coming out of high school. Redshirt freshman Lee Shrader has a year of experience with the Terrapins, but didn’t see the field last season. Freshman Nicolas Pritchard is both a punter and a kicker, but I’d expect to see him as the team’s third-stringer.