The NCAA’s sole transfer portal window for college football closed for entry on January 16th, with players from Indiana and Miami (FL) given until January 24th to enter. While players currently in the portal can continue to sign with teams at any time, Maryland’s roster for the 2026 season has nearly been finalized. With head coach Michael Locksley all but certainly entering a make-or-break year at the helm of the program, his decisions during this offseason will be his most important ones to date.
The Departures
Maryland officially lost 17 players to the transfer portal during this cycle, with an additional seven departing due to an exhaustion of their eligibility.
Transfer Portal Entries
- QB Roman Jensen (Shippensburg)
- QB Justyn Martin (Ohio State)
- QB Khristian Martin (Fresno State)
- RB Nolan Ray (Boston College)
- WR Josiah McLaurin (unsigned)
- WR Jahmari Powell-Wonson (Florida Atlantic)
- TE Leon Haughton Jr. (Old Dominion)
- OL Aliou Bah (LSU)
- DL Dillan Fontus (Syracuse)
- DL Dimitry Nicolas (Sam Houston)
- DL Sedrick Smith (Colorado)
- LB Neeo Avery (South Dakota)
- LB Michael Harris (unsigned)
- DB Kevyn Humes (Boston College)
- DB Braydon Lee (Arkansas)
- DB Shamar McIntosh (Charlotte)
- DB La’Khi Roland (Arkansas)
No Eligibility Remaining
- WR Jalil Farooq
- WR Shaleak Knotts
- WR Octavian Smith Jr.
- OL Alan Herron
- DL Cam Rice
- DB Jalen Huskey
- LS Ethan Gough
Through these departures, Maryland lost five offensive starters (Bah, Farooq, Herron, Knotts, Smith Jr.), four defensive starters (Fontus, Humes, Huskey, Rice), and their starting long snapper (Gough) from last season.
The Arrivals
Locksley and his coaching staff have been able to add seven players of their own through the transfer portal to date, adding to their 19-member incoming freshman recruiting class.
Transfer Portal Additions
- RB Harry Dalton III (USC)
- WR Chris Durr Jr. (Wyoming)
- WR Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding (Old Dominion)
- TE Preston Howard (Auburn)
- DL Lavon Johnson (Texas)
- DL Derrick LeBlanc (UCF)
- DB Amari Jackson (Boston College)
- OL Tellek Lockette (Texas State)
Incoming Freshman Class
- QB Nathan Bernhard
- WR Jayden Kitchens
- WR Josiah Teasley
- TE Damon Hall Jr.
- TE Brayden Marko
- TE Javonte Williams
- OL Jesse Moody
- OL Day’jon Moore
- DL Cam Brickle II
- DL Jianni Davis
- DL Zion Elee
- DL Jamarcus Whyce
- LB Kayden Carter
- DB Darrell Carey
- DB Zahir Cobb
- DB Sean Johnson
- DB Hakim Satterwhite
- K Eli Fulcher
- LS Rory Knipp
If Howard and Johnson’s names look familiar, it’s because they began their collegiate careers at Maryland before transferring elsewhere before last season. They’ll both provide critical depth at their respective positions. Durr Jr. and Gladding will likely step into starting wide receiver roles following the departure of all three starters at that position. Jackson has a chance to start immediately at the nickel position, with talented returnees Jamare Glasker and Dontay Joyner manning the outside cornerback roles. 247Sports currently ranks the team’s transfer class as the 71st-best in the country.
The Terrapins’ freshman class is led by 5-star pass-rusher Elee, the program’s best recruit in the rankings era. He joins returnees Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart to create one of the country’s best young edge-rushing groups this year. As a whole, 247Sports ranks the class as the 43rd-best in the nation. Combined with their transfer class, the incoming group is currently ranked 52nd-best nationally.
The Roster
By rough calculation Maryland’s roster currently sits at 103 players, two shy of the NCAA’s current limit of 105. While there could be a few openings created by late departures which aren’t related to the portal, the team’s roster is just about full. My expectation is that one of the remaining spots will be taken by a quarterback, given that Bernhard and Jackson Hamilton are the only two signal-callers currently on the roster behind Malik Washington. With any remaining openings, look for the staff to target offensive linemen as they’ve yet to add any experienced players at the position after losing two starters.
Projected Depth Chart
Offense
QB: 1. Malik Washington, 2. Nathan Bernhard
RB: 1. DeJuan Williams, 2. Iverson Howard OR Bud Coombs
WR-X: 1. Kaleb Webb, 2. Jordan Scott OR Josiah Teasley
WR-Z: 1. Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding, 2. Ryan Manning
WR-H: 1. Chris Durr Jr., 2. Zymear Smith
TE: 1. Dorian Fleming, 2. Preston Howard
LT: 1. Rahtrel Perry, 2. Michael McMonigle
LG: 1. Jaylen Gilchrist, 2. Ryan Howerton
C: 1. Michael Hershey, 2. Trevor Szymanski
RG: 1. Tellek Lockette, 2. Amory Hills
RT: 1. Isaiah Wright, 2. Carlos Moore
Defense
SAM: 1. Sidney Stewart OR Zion Elee
DT: 1. Eyan Thomas, 2. Lavon Johnson
NT: 1. Bryce Jenkins, 2. Joel Starlings
JACK: 1. Zahir Mathis, 2. Nahsir Taylor
MIKE: 1. Trey Reddick, 2. Keyshawn Flowers
WILL: 1. Daniel Wingate, 2. Carlton Smith
FCB: 1. Jamare Glasker, 2. Lloyd Irvin III OR Hakim Satterwhite
BCB: 1. Dontay Joyner, 2. Sean Johnson
NICKEL: 1. Amari Jackson, 2. Jayden Shipps
FS: 1. Lavain Scruggs, 2. Gavin Edwards
SS: 1. Messiah Delhomme, 2. Darrell Carey
Special Teams
K: 1. Sean O’Haire, 2. Eli Fulcher
P: 1. Bryce McFerson, 2. Philip Noyes
LS: 1. Luke O’Hare OR Rory Knipp
KR: 1. Iverson Howard, 2. Ricardo Cooper Jr.
PR: 1. Ricardo Cooper Jr., 2. Messiah Delhomme
Offensively, as has been the case for a number of years, the biggest question mark is the offensive line. Maryland returns three starters from last season’s unit, which was typically solid in pass protection but failed to open up many holes at all in the running game. (EDIT, Maryland added Tellek Lockette today, and I now project him to start at RG.) The wide receiver position is also very uncertain, and will rely heavily on two transfer portal additions who are moving up a level in competition from lower-level Group of Five programs. The presence of Fleming and Howard, along with a number of other talented tight ends, may help to offset a lack of experience at the wide receiver position as offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton used plenty of two and three-tight end formations last season.
On the defensive side of the ball, there are depth questions to be asked of both the interior of the defensive line and cornerback. Maryland’s run defense ranked 107th-best nationally, so ensuring better play from their defensive tackles will be a priority for defensive coordinator Ted Monachino. While Glasker and Joyner return at cornerback, the losses of Humes, Lee, and Roland aren’t insignificant as quality depth pieces.
Both specialist positions are excellent, with McFerson and O’Haire serving as two of the best at their respective spots in the conference. Punt coverage (72nd-best nationally) and kickoff coverage (110th-best nationally) were poor however, which ought to be a point of emphasis for special teams coordinator Andre Powell.
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.