Maryland as Big Ten champs? Why expectations are different this year in College Park

A topic once so improbable it was practically verboten in College Park is now bandied about freely among those in and close to the Maryland football program: This season, the Terrapins are legit contenders for the Big Ten championship. 

Coach Mike Locksley first threw down that gauntlet in December after the Terrapins’ Duke’s Mayo Bowl win in Charlotte. He did it again in July during the Big Ten media days and reiterated the assertion at the beginning of Maryland’s fall camp earlier this month.

“The players and coaches in our program know what our expectations are,” the fifth-year Maryland coach said. “They know that the work has to supersede the goal. And we’re not going to let a goal of wanting to compete for championships get in the way of the type of work and the amount of work it’s going to take to do that.”

His players have received the memo. 

“We know that it won’t be given to us. And we’ve got a bunch of guys in that locker room over there that really feel strongly about now is our time to do the things and create the habits and behaviors to be a championship-level program.” Locksley said.

With the objectives and possibilities delineated, then, what has to come together in 2023 for the Terrapins to shock the conference and have a history-making season? 

The team will need to find a new gear, one that takes them to a level higher than the Terrapins have played on in the last years — even if each of those was capped with a bowl win.

In an era of constant movement in college football, Locksley believes his combination of transfer portal additions and new, experienced coaching voices will provide the boost needed to supplement the veteran playmakers Maryland has returning at key positions on each side.

Foremost among those returnees is Taulia Tagovailoa, the record-shattering quarterback who is poised to add the final chapter to an illustrious college career.

“I felt like I wasn’t going to leave this place without my feet touching the turf in Indianapolis,” Tagovailoa said of his goal of reaching the Big Ten championship game. “That was the whole plan we had this whole time. I’m happy that in my fifth year in college, fourth year over here, we’re ready to do it.”

The Ewa Beach, Hawaii, native is already the best quarterback, statistically, in the 129-year history of the program. He owns eight different Maryland career records and has piled up other superlatives. His longevity is both rare and beneficial, with Tagovailoa one of only three returning starters at quarterback in the Big Ten and the unquestioned leader of the Terrapins.

“For him to come back and show his commitment to this program and his commitment to coach Locksley speaks a lot,” new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said. “I think it talks about the character of the young man that leads this team, and it talks about the relationships he also has because he enjoys being a Maryland football player.”

Gattis fills the void left by Dan Enos, who took the same job at Arkansas. A former Broyles award winner as the top assistant in college football, Gattis will run the same Locksley-designed offense that was fourth-best in the Big Ten last season but with his imprint — which Tagovailoa excitedly described as “air raid” — in terms of play scripting.

“It’s kind of more to my strengths as well as our receivers’ and o-line’s strengths and getting the ball out of my hands quick. Obviously, that’s something we’ve always been doing, but I think this year we added more touches to it,” Tagovailoa said.

Gattis is joined by former Houston, Texas A&M and Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin as a co-offensive coordinator. The duo, in Locksley’s mind, will serve as closers, flipping the script in games that Maryland has struggled to win against the Big Ten’s elite.

“You know, we had some really close games a year ago that I think the experience that these guys bring will help,” Locksley said. “When you look at what Josh has done at Michigan and what Kevin has done in his career, these are two veteran guys that have been in these big games and have game planned for them, and I think the experience hopefully will lend itself to where we find ways to win close games.”

A lot of that success will be dictated by Maryland’s yet-to-be-announced offensive line. After returning all five starters in 2022, D.J. Glaze is the lone remaining member of that unit after departures to the NFL draft and transfer portal. Locksley isn’t worried about that initially, stressing the impact of experienced transfers like Gottlieb Ayedze (Frostburg State), Marcus Dumervil (LSU) and Corey Bullock (North Carolina Central) while hinting that a rotation may be in play.

“We feel like we’ve got eight, nine guys that up to today have shown us that they had the ability to play winning football. Now, that doesn’t mean that the other guys aren’t good enough. It just means we have to continue to bring them along,” Locksley said.

They will be responsible for protecting Tagovailoa and his weapons, including sixth-year do-everything receiver Jeshaun Jones, incoming playmaking deep threat Kaden Prather (West Virginia), FIU single-season touchdown and yards leader Tyrese Chambers and budding star Roman Hemby, who finished 11 rushing yards short of 1,000 in his standout redshirt freshman campaign.

“We know that we have a lot more in the tank and we’ve got a lot more to get done,” Hemby said. “So I feel like as far as the offense, if we want to take that next step, we’ve got to have more explosive plays, whether that’s plays in the run game or the pass game, and we’ve got to eliminate the negative plays as much as possible.”

With all due respect to those offensive stars, Maryland’s defense is the reason these Terrapins are in a position to contend for a conference championship. A lot of that credit goes to what defensive coordinator Brian Williams has done after initially leading the group in the final two games of 2021 before taking the full reins last season.

In 2021, Maryland’s defense allowed 38.8 points per game in Big Ten games. In 2022 under Williams, that fell 13.1 points per game to 25.7, far and away the biggest improvement in the conference.

“[We can] kind of correct the things we didn’t do well, enhance the things we did do well, and it’s just more confidence when you’re able to operate that way,” Williams said. You develop more cohesiveness. It helps to bring the younger players along faster because you have more people in the room, more people on the field that know what’s going on. So they can kind of spread their wealth and knowledge to everyone.”

Defensive players are quick to share their love of playing for Williams and the supportive atmosphere he’s created.

“When he gets in front of the room, everybody listens. Everybody wants to play for him. Everybody wants to play hard for him,” cornerback Tarheeb Still said. “And he knows how to get through to his players. He knows how to talk to guys. He understands different positions. So, I feel like he’s the perfect guy to lead this charge for us.”

Still is one member of an impact group on defense that features a boatload of NFL-caliber talent hoping to take recent first-round draft pick Deonte Banks’ path to the pros. That includes safety tandem Beau Brade and Dante Trader, led by new position coach Zac Spavital. 

Another is linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who stood out in nearly every game as a freshman last season with his closing speed and athleticism. After racking up 58 tackles and 4 sacks in 2022, the District Heights native is garnering national attention and is poised for a breakout.

“I’m expecting first-team all-Big Ten, I want All-American for him. He’s a dog,” Brade said of Barham. “I seen that last year. And I think everyone saw last year glimpses of it throughout the season. 

“He just got bigger, faster, stronger, and he’s a smart intellectual player. And I think that’s some of the things people don’t know about him, but I think that they’re gonna see it this year.”

High aspirations are one thing, but results are another, and the numbers haven’t been kind to Maryland against the conference’s upper crust. Under Locksley, the Terrapins are 1-9 versus Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State — the three schools that have won every Big Ten title since 2015. 

Two of those matchups, with Michigan and Penn State, are in College Park this fall. It’s also the final year of the conference’s division system, freeing Maryland from playing that gauntlet each season. After what Locksley termed the “cleanest” fall camp in his tenure, however, he’s ready to see the foundation he’s painstakingly built lead to historic dividends, regardless of who’s lining up on the other side.

“We now have the foundation that I think is necessary in the locker room with the player-driven culture that allows us to go do just those things,” Locksley said.