Terps Football: 2019 Offense Preview

With their 2019 season opener against Howard fast approaching, the Maryland Terrapins are beginning their final preparations under first-year head coach Michael Locksley. At this time last year, the program was in turmoil following the tragic death of Jordan McNair and the leadership uncertainty in the wake of ESPN’s bombshell reports of physical and emotional abuse by coaches and staff members. This summer has been about healing, re-grouping, and building a family atmosphere around a coach who knew most of his players on a first-name basis before he was even hired.

This article will preview Maryland’s offense on a position-by-position basis, with a defensive counterpart on the way in the following days.

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Quarterbacks

Projected Depth Chart
1. Josh Jackson (Redshirt Junior)
2. Tyrrell Pigrome (Redshirt Junior)
3. Max Bortenschlager (Redshirt Junior)
4. Tyler DeSue (Redshirt Freshman)
5. Lance LeGendre (Freshman)
6. Donny Sanders (Redshirt Sophomore)
7. Eric Najarian (Freshman)

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Terrapins enter the 2019 season with a fully healthy crop of quarterbacks. Kasim Hill, who started 10 of the team’s 12 games last season before suffering a knee injury, entered the transfer portal and will be finishing his collegiate career elsewhere. Despite losing him, this is still the most talented group of signal-callers that Maryland has had in quite some time.

When Hill went down in the team’s 10th game of 2018, Pigrome stepped up and started the final two games of the season. He nearly captained what would’ve been a world-shattering upset of Ohio State, losing the game by mere inches on an incomplete pass in the end zone. He’s been competing for the starting job this summer with Virginia Tech transfer Jackson, who arrived in College Park a few weeks ago. Locksley has yet to name a starter, and will likely wait as long as possible to make a decision.

Jackson would add another dimension to Maryland’s offense as a true dual-threat option. While he’s an excellent athlete and can certainly beat defenses with his legs, he’s equally impressive with his arm. As just a redshirt freshman in Blacksburg, he completed just under 60% of his passes for nearly 3,000 yards. He accounted for 26 total touchdowns and just 9 interceptions. Despite having just a little over a month to learn Locksley’s offensive scheme, his raw talent and leadership made it impossible for me not to project him as the Terrapins’ starter.

Bortenschlager, DeSue, and LeGendre represent the other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. LeGendre is the most intriguing name in this group, as the former 4-star recruit who spurned Florida State in favor of Maryland on National Signing Day. He has been very impressive during camp this summer, and will have his high school senior season featured alongside that of Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and Kentucky’s Nik Scalzo on the third season of Netflix’s “QB1: Beyond the Lights”. The new season was released early this morning.

Running Backs

Projected Depth Chart
1. Anthony McFarland, Jr. (Sophomore)
2. Lorenzo Harrison III (Redshirt Junior)
3. Javon Leake (Junior)
4. Tayon Fleet-Davis (Junior)
5. Jake Funk (Redshirt Junior)
6. Antonio DiCerbo (Junior)

Despite losing 2018 starter Ty Johnson to the NFL, the Terrapins still boast one of the deepest and most talented group of running backs in the Big Ten Conference. Despite Locksley’s offense being built around the passing game, he’ll have plenty of ways to get all of his running backs touches.

McFarland, Jr. returns to College Park after an electrifying freshman season. He led the team with just over 1,000 rushing yards in 2018 and averaged nearly 8 yards per carry. After running for nearly 300 yards in the team’s near-upset of Ohio State, he garnered attention across the country. With his versatile skill-set, don’t be surprised to see Locksley use him in a variety of ways, including in the slot as a wide receiver.

After missing the majority of last season due to multiple injuries, Harrison III will be looking to get back to his 2017 form. In both his freshman and sophomore seasons, he proved to be a perfect compliment to Johnson, a bowling ball-type runner who excelled at getting yards after contact. Hamstring injuries have been an issue for him in the past however, and he suffered a minor one during camp this summer.

Leake and Fleet-Davis return for their junior seasons in College Park after both rushing for over 300 yards in 2018. Leake led the team with 7 rushing touchdowns, and Fleet-Davis was right behind him with 5. Both players have completely different running styles, with Fleet-Davis the strong power back, and Leake the fast explosive runner. Leake used that explosive style to rush for over 9 yards per carry last season.

Rounding out the group is Funk, who missed the majority of last season due to a hand injury. He and Harrison III are the most experienced running backs on the roster, and Locksley has expressed a desire to use Funk in the slot as a wide receiver a bit in 2018. His pass-catching skills have always been excellent, and combined with his pass-blocking abilities make him a natural third-down back. He’s also a good downhill runner, which led former offensive coordinator Walt Bell to use him as a short-yardage and red zone back.

Locksley also moved DiCerbo from tight end to fullback, meaning he may see some of the field as a lead blocker in certain situations. He’s a former walk-on from The Gilman School and played in 11 games on special teams last year.

Wide Receivers

Projected Depth Chart (Split End)
1. Dontay Demus, Jr. (Sophomore)
2. Darryl Jones (Sophomore)
3. Isaiah Hazel (Freshman)
4. Carlos Carriere (Sophomore)

Projected Depth Chart (Flanker)
1. Brian Cobbs (Sophomore)
2. MJ Jarrell (Sophomore)
3. Jayden Comma (Sophomore)
4. Justin Brown (Sophomore)

Projected Depth Chart (Slot)
1. DJ Turner (Senior)
2. Sean Savoy (Junior)
3. Sean Nelson (Redshirt Sophomore)
4. Rayshad Lewis (Junior)
5. Dino Tomlin (Freshman)

After being blessed with the presence of Stefon Diggs from 2012-2014 and DJ Moore from 2015-2017, the 2018 season was Maryland’s first without a true star at the wide receiver position. As a result, seven different wideouts caught passes, including four freshmen. The experience those young players gained will be invaluable in 2019 after the team lost both their leading wideout from last season to graduation (Taivon Jacobs) and their second-leading to a season-ending knee injury (Jeshaun Jones).

Turner returns for his final season in College Park as one of just three upperclassmen at the wide receiver position. He played in 8 of the team’s games last season, catching 13 passes for just over 150 yards and a touchdown. Despite coming to Maryland as a blue-chip recruit, he’s yet to have his breakout year. With so much inexperience in this group, he’ll need to step up as a leader both on and off the field.

Demus, Jr. is one of the more exciting young talents on Maryland’s roster. He finished third on the team in receiving yards as a true freshman last season, and averaged over 21 yards per catch. He has excellent size to go along with top-notch speed, and will be looking to build on what was a strong finish to 2018.

There will be a competition during this summer for the flanker wide receiver spot vacated by Jones, and Cobbs is likely the leader. He proved his big-play abilities as a true freshman in 2018, averaging over 21 yards per catch. Like Demus, Jr., he has excellent size and is a nice target for whoever starts behind center for the Terrapins this season.

Regardless of who starts at wide receiver this season, there will be a heavy rotation of players at all three positions. Darryl Jones and Isaiah Hazel are both young, talented wideouts who could see time at either outside spot. And in the slot, any of the four players listed above behind Turner could push for playing time. For an offense that is based on a passing game which gets its best players the ball in space, there ought to be plenty of touches to go around for this talented group.

Tight Ends

Projected Depth Chart
1. Chigoziem Okonkwo (Sophomore)
2. Tyler Mabry (Redshirt Senior)
3. Noah Barnes (Redshirt Junior)
4. Robert Schwob (Junior)
5. Zack Roski (Junior)
6. Tyler Devera (Freshman)
7. Malik Jackson (Freshman)

Last season was the first time a Maryland tight end caught multiple passes since 2015, and that number will likely increase many times over this year. Locksley uses tight ends a lot in his offense, moving them all over the field and using more than one at a time. As I detailed in a previous article, Alabama used at least two tight ends approximately 23% of the time last year while Locksley was calling plays.

Okonkwo returns for his sophomore season in College Park after catching 6 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman in 2018. He’s essentially a wide receiver in a tight end’s body, so expect Locksley to utilize him like Irv Smith, Jr. for the Crimson Tide last season. Smith, Jr. caught 44 passes for over 700 yards and 7 touchdowns last season, numbers that likely have Okonkwo drooling.

Mabry joins the team as a graduate transfer from Buffalo, where he had started for the last two seasons. He brings excellent experience and leadership to a young tight end group, and will see plenty of the field alongside Okonkwo. While the sophomore is more of a pass-catcher, Mabry is a stellar blocker and should help the Terrapins’ inexperienced offensive tackles no matter which side of the line he ends up on. Like last season, he was named to the pre-season watch list for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s best tight end.

Barnes rounds out the three-deep and will be looking for his first catch in his college career this season. He’s played in the majority of Maryland’s games during the last two years, primarily on special teams. With Locksley utilizing tight ends much more than Bell, he will likely see the field on offense a bit in 2019.

Schwob and Roski joined the team as walk-ons last season, both hailing from the state of Maryland. Devera and Jackson round out the group as freshmen brought in by Locksley in his first recruiting class as the Terrapins’ head coach. They’ll likely redshirt this season, but could see playing time if injuries pop up.

Offensive Tackles

Projected Depth Chart (Left)
1. Jaelyn Duncan (Redshirt Freshman)
2. TJ Bradley (Junior)
3. Mason Lunsford (Freshman)

Projected Depth Chart (Right)
1. Marcus Minor (Redshirt Sophomore)
2. Tyran Hunt (Redshirt Sophomore)
3. Spencer Anderson (Redshirt Freshman)
4. Marcus Finger (Freshman)

After losing 2018 starters Derwin Gray and Damian Prince to the NFL, the Terrapins have two big holes to fill on both ends of their offensive line. Throughout spring and summer camps, Locksley has stressed the need for pass protection above all else. That emphasis begins and ends with this group of tackles, who will be tasked with taking on the Big Ten Conference’s elite pass rushers.

Duncan and Minor are the projected starters at left and right tackle, respectively. Both are former 4-star recruits, but only Minor has seen the field in his college career. While starting a freshman at left tackle is often disastrous, the coaching staff believes Duncan is more than ready to take on the challenge. Minor has appeared in twelve games over the past two years, including four starts. He has been dealing with a nagging injury during summer camp however, and there is a slight chance he won’t be ready to go for the team’s first game.

Bradley and Hunt make up the second string for the Terrapins, both standing extremely tall at 6’8” and 6”7, respectively. Bradley joined the team last season as a junior college transfer from Lackawanna Community College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. There are three freshmen who slot in as depth at the tackle position, with Lunsford and Finger coming in this season as part of Locksley’s 2019 recruiting class.

Offensive Guards

Projected Depth Chart (Left)
1. Sean Christie (Redshirt Senior)
2. Austin Fontaine (Redshirt Freshman)
3. Parris Heath (Sophomore)
4. Jack Wagman (Junior)

Projected Depth Chart (Right)
1. Terrance Davis (Senior)
2. Evan Gregory (Redshirt Freshman)
3. Breyon Gaddy (Redshirt Sophomore)

While the team will be replacing both of last season’s starters at tackle, both starting guards will return for 2019. Christie started all 12 of the Terrapins’ games in 2019 and Davis played in 8 while missing the other four due to injury. This experience will be crucial for an offense with so many young players, and for establishing a powerful downhill running game.

Locksley moved two of his former blue-chip defensive linemen to the offensive side of the ball during spring and summer camps, with Fontaine and Gaddy providing depth at both guard positions. While it was a questionable move given the already-thin corps of defensive linemen on the roster, Locksley made it clear that he wasn’t happy particularly with the pass protection of his offensive line. With a number of offensive linemen dealing with nagging camp injuries, these moves were necessary in order to run practices in the way that he’d like.

Joining the former defensive linemen are Gregory and Heath, both players with two years of experience under their belts. Gregory redshirted last season after joining the team as a blue-chip recruit from nearby DeMatha Catholic High School last season. 2019 will be Heath’s first year in College Park after Locksley recruited him from ASA College in Brooklyn, New York. Wagman rounds out the group after walking onto the team last season.

Centers

Projected Depth Chart
1. Johnny Jordan (Junior)
2. Ellis McKennie (Redshirt Senior)
3. Tyler Hamilton (Junior)

After Brendan Moore’s graduation, Jordan will take over the starting center role for the Terrapins in 2019. He has already gained plenty of experience, starting six games last year and appearing in 17 in his first two seasons. His leadership will be crucial for this new offensive line, and he was named to the pre-season watch list for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top center.

McKennie is one of just a few seniors at the offensive line position for Maryland this year, and he’s set to serve as the team’s backup center. He’s appeared in 31 games during his college career, and will likely see playing time at multiple positions on the line in 2019. He’s one of the brightest and most philanthropic members of the Terrapins’ program, and one of its most important leaders. He earned Academic honors from the Big Ten Conference in 2017 and 2018, was elected to the University Senate for the 2019-20 school year, and is currently working on his Master’s Degree in Public Policy while interning for Senator Ben Cardin.

Hamilton joins the team this season as a walk-on and will provide depth at both the center and guard positions. He played his high school football at St. Vincent Palotti High School in nearby Bowie, Maryland.

Coaching Staff

Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach: Scottie Montgomery
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach: Joker Phillips
Running Backs Coach: Elijah Brooks
Tight Ends Coach: Mike Miller
Offensive Line Coach: John Reagan