Maryland Terrapins 2026 Season Preview: Locksley's Make-or-Break Year Rides on a Rising Washington and a Loaded Edge
Maryland went 4-8 and 1-8 in the Big Ten in 2025, dropping its final eight games after a 4-0 start that included a road upset of Wisconsin. The collapse sharpened the stakes for Mike Locksley, who is 37-49 in eight seasons at Maryland and enters a make-or-break ninth year with pressure mounting. The Terrapins do return one of the most experienced rosters in the country, bringing back roughly 71 percent of their 2025 statistical production, a figure trailing only Notre Dame nationally, along with 16 returning starters. Locksley has hitched his comeback plan to a young core led by sophomore quarterback Malik Washington and a defense stocked with returning talent, hired new coordinator Clint Trickett to modernize the offense, and brought back Matt Barnes to run special teams.
Offense
Malik Washington is the centerpiece. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound sophomore started 12 games as a true freshman and set school freshman records for completions and passing yards, throwing for 2,963 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 273-of-473 passing while adding 303 yards on the ground. He became the first Power Four freshman to throw three touchdowns in his opener since Trevor Lawrence in 2018, and he drew rave reviews around the league for holding up under heavy pressure. New coordinator Clint Trickett, who tutored first-round passers Jameis Winston, Christian Ponder and EJ Manuel at Florida State, wants a faster tempo with more motion and more designed quarterback runs, and has called Washington the most talented thrower he has ever coached. Behind him, Kent State transfer Devin Kargman brings 1,151 yards of prior starting experience.
Maryland must rebuild a receiving corps that ranked among the national leaders in drops. Kaleb Webb is the top returning wideout after catching 22 passes for 318 yards and two scores at 14.5 per grab, and the staff expects more from him. The Terrapins leaned on the portal for playmakers, adding Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding, who caught 51 balls for six touchdowns at Old Dominion, and Chris Durr Jr., a productive target who totaled 45 receptions at Wyoming. Tight end Dorian Fleming, a Georgia State transfer, was among the offense's steadiest options with 40 catches for 351 yards after posting 558 receiving yards in 2024.
DeJuan Williams returns as the featured back after leading the team with 501 rushing yards on 128 carries and chipping in 45 receptions for 426 yards, though Maryland finished next-to-last in the Big Ten at 104.3 rushing yards per game and badly needs more consistency and explosiveness. Iverson Howard offers a change of pace, and USC transfer Harry Dalton III arrives to supply splash plays in the committee approach Locksley favors.
The line is a genuine strength. Maryland allowed just nine sacks last season, one of the five lowest per-game totals in the country, and it returns roughly 91 career starts. Center Michael Hershey, a Big Ten All-Academic honoree, anchors the interior as the unit's steadiest piece and profiles as a name to track for the next level. Veteran tackles Rahtrel Perry and Isaiah Wright hold down the edges, with Wright back after an Achilles injury, and Texas State transfer Tellek Lockette adds three years of starting experience at guard.
Defense
The edge is the calling card. Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis both earned Freshman All-America honors, combining for 13 sacks; Stewart logged 11 starts with seven sacks, and Mathis added six over 10 starts. Into that rotation steps five-star freshman Zion Elee, ranked around No. 10 in the national class and arguably the most heralded recruit Maryland has ever signed, giving the Terrapins a potentially elite pass rush. The interior got bigger and deeper, with 300-pounders Eyan Thomas and Lavon Johnson clogging the middle and UCF transfer Derrick LeBlanc and Washington transfer Armon Parker adding heft to a front the staff finally believes can hold up in Big Ten trenches. The program counts as many as 10 linemen over 300 pounds.
Daniel Wingate is a two-year starter and the defense's headliner, a future pro who led the team with 102 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss while ranging sideline to sideline. Trey Reddick returns as his running mate after finishing among the team's top tacklers, and Carlton Smith, who ranked fourth on the roster with 64 stops as a true freshman, is primed for a breakout in the middle.
The secondary is experienced if a bit thin on depth. Corners Dontay Joyner and Jamare Glasker both return as multi-year contributors and legitimate next-level prospects; Glasker posted four interceptions and six pass breakups, while Joyner added two picks and eight breakups. Boston College transfer Amari Jackson, a big talent who has lost chunks of the past two seasons to injury, joins the mix. At safety, Lavain Scruggs is a steady veteran and former prized recruit Messiah Delhomme is set to build on a bumpy debut, with true freshman Darrell Carey pegged as a potential riser.
Special teams should be an asset. Kicker Sean O'Haire, a Richmond transfer, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors by leading the league at 1.75 made field goals per game and connecting on 21 of 24 attempts, the second-most accurate season in school history at 87.5 percent. Punter Bryce McFerson, a Notre Dame transfer, averaged 44.2 yards to rank second in the conference and earn second-team all-league honors. The coverage and return units lagged, so Locksley brought back Matt Barnes, who previously worked in College Park before a stint as Mississippi State's co-defensive coordinator, to sharpen those phases.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule sets up for a fast start. Maryland opens with Hampton, a trip to UConn and Virginia Tech before the Big Ten grind, and the slate rates among the softer ones the Terrapins have drawn since joining the league, even though the road tour includes Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue and USC. History is unkind in the toughest spots, as Maryland has not beaten a ranked Big Ten opponent since 2014. The preseason consensus slots the Terrapins in the middle-to-back of the conference, around 15th or 16th, with several power ratings nudging them toward a bowl on the strength of all that returning experience.
This is the most talented and experienced roster Locksley has assembled, and the pieces point up: an ascending quarterback, an edge rush that can wreck games, and a veteran secondary and offensive line. The make-or-break is production. Last year's team returned plenty but rarely converted talent into points, finishing next-to-last in the league on the ground. If Washington takes a sophomore leap and the run game climbs even to average, six wins and a bowl are within reach, and that is likely what it takes to keep the ninth-year coach in place. If the offense stalls again, the pressure on Locksley only grows.