Less than 24 hours away from Maryland football’s marquee game of the season with USC headed to campus, Maryland enters Saturday standing at 3-3 (0-3) in a first half that’s featured plenty of ups and downs. At this midpoint of the season, it is time to take a look at who has exceeded expectations and who has fallen short in this edition of the stock report.
Stock Up
WR Tai Felton
It hasn’t recently been as successful for the Terrapins wide receiver as he has combined for 14 receptions and 115 receiving yards and no scores over the last two games. I am sure that Maryland fans do not forget his blistering start to the season where he had 41 catches for 604 yards and 5 touchdowns in just four games. After that point Felton led the entire nation in receiving yards and while it has not been as successful for the senior wideout this year, Felton has officially broken out as a bonafide number one receiver. There was hype preseason that Felton, along with Prather were the alphas in the wide receiver room. Felton exceeded those expectations, as myself, and I am sure many people out there didn’t expect this level of production. Even in a “down game” for Felton last week, he still racked in nine catches for 77 yards. As Mike Locksley takes over play calling, I expect him to get the ball into the hands of Felton more and for his production to mimic levels seen in the first three weeks of the season.
QB Billy Edwards
Entering the season the biggest question was who was going to be the signal caller for Maryland this season. Edwards had been Tagovailoa’s back up for a few seasons and saw some game action. Locksley also snagged a shiny new toy for former North Carolina State quarterback, MJ Morris. The buzz around Terp nation was that the majority wanted and believed Morris would get the nod. As it became apparent that this was Edwards’ job headed into week 1, the chatter was not exactly positive. Fans and analysts alike saw flaws in Edwards accuracy and decision-making ability. As it sits now, Edwards has shattered expectations. Edwards currently sits at 1,174 passing yards on a 68.4% completion percentage with 11 passing touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. Have to give credit to Edwards as he has stepped in and has given the Terrapins a quarterback they can trust. It hasn’t been all perfect for Edwards as he had no touchdown passes and only a 58% competition percentage last week at Northwestern as the offense only amassed 10 points. However, Edwards has failed to throw for less than 250 passing yards and has added explosive plays on the ground with three extra scores. Edwards has also consistently ranked high PFF metrics and currently sits at #2 in PFF explosive pass plays. All things considered, Edwards has risen his stock from preseason expectations.
OL Terez Davis
A more recent addition into the stock up report is true freshman offensive lineman, Terez Davis. Davis entered College Park last January and has acclimated himself as the future of the offensive line. Davis first entered the game against Villanova and has been making an impact ever since. Davis has filtered into the tackle position to replace and ailing Andre Roye. Davis has held his own and his been a bright spot on an overall struggling offensive line. Davis has seen his snap count uptick over the last few weeks as he saw legit playing time last week versus Northwestern and was arguably the Terrapins best offensive lineman. This week, Davis was seen lining up with the first unit in one of the personnel moves that Locksley has referenced. Seeing a true freshmen make this much of an impact at a key position despite him projecting as an interior lineman bodes well for the future of the group and his development at the program. Look for Davis to make his mark more and be the cornerstone of the deep 2024 offensive line class.
The Young Linebackers/Edge Rushers
Much of the talk entering the season was the veteran presence and skill of the Maryland front seven group. Players such as Ruben Hyppolite, Tommy Akingbesote, Quashon Fuller, Jordan Phillips, Taizse Johnson, and Donnell Brown got much of the attention. There was a positive outlook based on young depth as well. Halfway through the season, the young depth of these groups has stepped up to be some of the most impactful players on defense. It starts with sophomore linebacker, Mike Harris. Similar to Terex Davis, Harris has seen his snap count increase over the last few weeks and he has thrived. Harris recorded his first sack against Villanova and also had a career game against Indiana where he finished with 10 total tackles and forced a fumble. Fellow sophomore linebacker, Daniel Wingate, has also started to come into his own as well. Wingate has been noticeable on the field and had a career high 6 tackles against Indiana. Wingate was spotted working with the starting group at practice this week as he is positioned to be a key piece from the linebacking room going forward. Another piece that has quietly been effective is freshman linebacker, Trey Reddick. Reddick has been arguably the most effective in creating quarterback pressure as of late as veteran pass rushers have been underwhelming. Reddick recorded his first sack against Indiana and has been a positive development for the youth movement at the position. Highly touted prospect, sophomore Neeo Avery, entered the fold last week after another injury set him back. Avery had one of the few highlights on the defensive side last week with a tackle for loss. If Avery can join the young group in making impactful plays for the defense, the unit could be in great shape down the stretch. As the veteran group has underwhelmed, the young depth of the front seven has stepped and seemingly has played themselves into a larger role for the back half of the season.
LB Kellen Wyatt
The junior linebacker has possibly become the Terrapins most effective defensive player throughout the first half of the season. As a majority of the veteran group has not met preseason expectations, Wyatt has stepped up for the group. He leads the team in sacks (3) and tackles for loss (6). Wyatt has been consistent in his efforts as well with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks in the Terrapins last two defeats. Wyatt is constantly making plays for this defense and I believe he has risen his stock to one of the best defenders on the roster.
Stock Down
Transfer Offensive Lineman
A recent trend of Maryland offensive lineman has been patching them together via the transfer portal. Maryland got creative entering the 2023 season, grabbing St. Frances (PA) OT Gottlieb Ayedze and North Carolina Central OG Corey Bullock. The two were a relative success story as they were able to be great transitional pieces for the unit and have found themselves on NFL practice squads. Entering 2024, coach Mike Locksley entered the portal again to patch an offensive line that had 4 open spots. Enter Buffalo OL Isaiah Wright, Shorter (D-II) OT, Alan Herron, Georgia OG Aliou Bah and Purdue C Josh Kaltenberger. The group has not reached the success as last year’s offensive line has. Unfortunately, Wright did not even get to play a snap with a season ending injury suffered in preseason. Herron has not exactly been the diamond in the rough that the staff was looking for. Different from last year, Maryland was able to snag offensive lineman from established programs in Kaltenberger from Purdue and Bah from Georgia. Kaltenberger has flashed at moments but mostly has been disappointing. Bah comes from one of the best programs in the country, but his lack of playing experience has shown with his poor play and discipline. As a whole, the unit has failed to generate push in the run game and pass protection for Edwards has been lacking, especially in the last two games vs. Indiana and Northwestern. The Wildcats forced three sacks for 33 yards and an additional six tackles for loss. Indiana was able to rack up 5 sacks against the Maryland pass protection. The Big Ten is known for being won in the trenches and it seems that the group may not be up for task. There is internal pressure from young lineman such as Terez Davis and Michael Hershey to snag roles from the transfer group. With years of eligibility left on Bah, Herron and Wright it is not time to completely give up on the group but the clock is ticking in 2024.
The Veteran Front Seven
Entering the season, all the hype on the defensive side of the ball was on the front seven. A core of veteran players returned for the Terps to be the key cog in the defensive efforts. The group has not been bad but have not exactly lived up to the expectations of the preseason. Interior defensive lineman, Tommy Akingbesote, has been one of the standouts of the bunch with a sack and 19 total tackles halfway through the season. Most of Akingbesote’s damage has come in the non-conference as he tallied 9 tackles against Virginia and 2 TFLs and a sack against Villanova. Akingbesote has only four total tackles in the last 2 games. Jordan Phillips entered the season as an alpha dog for the front seven; however, his play has not met the expectations for the junior transfer. Phillips has yet to record a sack and has only 11 total tackles on the year.
Quashon Fuller has been inconsistent in his play as well. Fuller battled an early injury but has only totaled 12 tackles in 5 games played with one sack against Virginia. Elsewhere, Ruben Hyppolite has also seemed to not meet expectations as leader of the defense thus far with some young players stepping up at the position. The unit has done most of their damage out of conference and showed their potential against Virginia a few weeks ago. In conference play, the group has yet to really pop and display that they can be a force to be reckoned with. The defensive scheme deployed by Brian Williams does not always put the group in the best position with a three-man rush; however, the skill of the front seven and inexperience of the defensive backs should play into this scheme. There is plenty of season left for the group to impose their will and reach their full potential as one of the most stout and deep front seven groups in the league.
With only conference games remaining, the Terrapins have time to salvage their season. Some players have vastly exceeded expectations and others have dipped below. With some surprise flashes from younger players and the experience at other positions, the Maryland squad has the talent to compete at the Big Ten level. The road begins tomorrow at home versus USC.
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