Maryland football head coach Mike Locksley officially announced a finalized staff on Tuesday morning, with Ted Monachino on board as the program’s new defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach. The announcement came as a mere formality given the longtime NFL assistant has taken the reins on building the 2025 defense led by linebackers Daniel Wingate and Caleb Wheatland, but it also came weeks after the announcement of several new assistants both on and off the field and on both sides of the ball.
That includes Hal Hunter III, who takes over the tight end and offensive tackle unit heading into the season.
While it marks his first college job in nearly two decades, it also serves as a somewhat unique homecoming for the Hunter after his father, Hal Hunter Jr., coached in College Park for two seasons beginning in 1964.
“I was very, very small at the time, but we lived right next door to Lee Corso. Interesting deal,” Hunter said. Corso served as the Terps’ quarterback coach for seven seasons beginning in 1958 as he and Hunter Jr. overlapped for the final two seasons of the Tom Nugent era.
So what brought the longtime NFL assistant back to College Park – and the college ranks?
“My whole connection was with the offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton, who we had worked with. I've known [Pep] since I was at the Chargers, we worked together at the Colts, we worked together at Cleveland, worked together at Houston. So I'm familiar with him. I'm familiar with the system and we've always kind of been on the same page,” Hunter said. “He’s easy to work with and so he approached me about coming and working with him in the offense and this and that. So I left South Carolina and came up to College Park.”
Once Hunter got to College Park in February, it didn’t take long for him to find himself ready to stay.
“I never met coach Locksley before, but when I came up and had a chance to interview with him and visit with him and talk with him. And after I talked with him, I really liked what I heard, I liked his approach and walked across the hall and signed my contract. Your job is defined by who you work with – it's the head coach and the coordinator. If you're on the same page with those guys, then it makes the job easier.”
Hunter now joins the program tasked with the trenches looking to the next step. Maryland went out and played what ended up being the long game to snag Rahtrel Perry from the portal, one of two transfer additions, as the potential multi-year starter looks to take over the left tackle position.
“A strong, excellent athlete, and he's a very responsible young man,” offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski said of Perry. “He has been very focused. He has been very detailed. He's been very responsible. He puts good effort into the workouts. So we're excited to see what he can do and take that next step on.”
The unit also returns several starters including Alan Herron and Aliou Bah while Michael Hershey and Terez Davis look to become starters in 2025. But with spring ball only beginning, the makeup of the coaching staff in the trenches adds new juice. With Hunter taking over the tackles and tight ends, Wroblewski taking over the interior offensive line and analyst Jarrod James rounding out the unit, Hunter knows he and Wroblewski are on the same page.
“Coach [Damian] Wroblewski, we hit it off. We're on the same page. We're, like, philosophically very connected which helps with a lot of that stuff. That makes it easy to coach a guy,” Hunter said.
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