Following a second consecutive 4-8 season and likely entering a make-or-break year at the helm, head coach Michael Locksley and his coaching staff have been hard at work over the last couple months addressing the team’s weaknesses. To date, they’ve added 31 new players to the roster (20 freshmen, 11 transfers) while also reportedly looking to make some additions to the staff. While last season’s team had plenty of problem areas, there were two that really stood out.
The Offensive Problem: Maryland averaged just 101.3 rushing yards per game, which ranked 124th-best in the nation and second-worst in the conference behind only Minnesota.
The Terrapins have struggled to run the ball consistently for the majority of the last decade or more, and are regularly dominated up front by bigger and more talented defensive lines. Last season, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton threw nearly every formation, personnel grouping, and run scheme into his gameplans to no avail. Towards the beginning of the year, he used multiple tight ends and even a fullback at times with quarterback Malik Washington under center in an attempt to help the running game. When that didn’t work, he utilized more spread formations with Washington in the shotgun and three or more wide receivers on the field. Maryland also mixed together both zone and gap schemes, but failed to gain any sort of traction on the ground.
The Offensive Solution: Maryland is replacing two of their starting offensive linemen from last season (Aliou Bah, Alan Herron). They added Texas State transfer Tellek Lockette, who’s expected to likely take up a starting role on the interior of the line. Former four-star recruit Jaylen Gilchrist, who missed the majority of last year due to injury, is also expected to compete for a starting job. Otherwise, returnees Michael Hershey, Rahtrel Perry, and Isaiah Wright will likely take up starting roles again in 2026.
DeJuan Williams returns as the Terrapins’ starting running back, following a season where he impressed with his pass-catching abilities but rarely saw holes he could exploit in the running game. They also added USC transfer Harry Dalton III to the roster, and will get Bud Coombs back after he suffered a season-ending injury during camp prior to last year. With a signal-caller like Washington behind center, Maryland’s rushing attack doesn’t need to be one of the best in the conference. But it does need to keep the offense ahead of the chains consistently so that they aren’t constantly forced into obvious passing situations.
The Defensive Problem: Maryland’s defense allowed opposing offenses to convert 45.22% of their third-down attempts, which ranked 119th-best in the country and second-worst in the conference behind only Illinois.
While defensive coordinator Ted Monachino’s unit performed well in certain aspects (sacks and takeaways), they were one of the worst in the nation at getting off the field on third downs. One of the primary reasons for this was their performance against the run, allowing an average of 186.9 rushing yards per game which ranked 107th-best in the country. They consistently allowed opposing offenses to stay ahead of the chains and convert manageable third downs.
The Defensive Solution: Maryland is replacing four of their interior defensive linemen from last season (Dillan Fontus, Dimitry Nicolas, Cam Rice, Sedrick Smith). They added four in the transfer portal (Lavon Johnson, Derrick LeBlanc, Armon Parker, Jayvon Parker) and two more in their incoming freshman class (Cam Brickle II, Jamarcus Whyce). These players will need to step up, along with returnees Bryce Jenkins, Joel Starlings, and Eyan Thomas to improve their lackluster run defense and keep opposing offenses behind the chains on a more consistent basis.
The Terrapins ought to have one of the best young pass-rushing corps in the country, featuring returnees Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart alongside incoming five-star freshman Zion Elee. But a pass rush’s effectiveness will be greatly handicapped if the offense isn’t forced into obvious passing situations with more regularity. If you want to win on third down, you have to win on first and second downs, where Maryland will need to show vast improvement in 2026.
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.