Five Positions to Watch During Preseason Camp
Maryland will begin preseason camp on Friday as they hope to play their 2020 season this fall as the Big Ten laid out this week, which means head coach Mike Locksley officially turns the page into year two with the program. Maryland welcomes over 30 new scholarship additions to the roster as the staff hopes to address key weaknesses throughout. We take a look at five positions that could see the most competition as each position coach hopes to separate their respective unit.
Quarterback
It will be a position rehashed throughout the Terps’ upcoming season with just two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Maryland is still awaiting word from the NCAA regarding Alabama transfer Taulia Tagovailoa, which will be a big key in the competition during camp. Tagovailoa can still practice with the team to elevate competition, but his immediate eligibility would provide Maryland with obvious improved depth and a possibility to dethrone the existing quarterbacks. Senior Josh Jackson will look to show improved confidence in the pocket as he hopes to dismiss accuracy concerns from a season ago. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Lance Legendre will have a chance to show himself as a more complete quarterback after attempting just three passes last year, but there’s no doubt Maryland will need to take a step forward in the room if they hope to improve upon last year.
Tight End
Tyler Baylor and Kam Blount switch from the defensive side of the ball to help bolster numbers in the tight end room. Junior tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo remains the focus in the room as he will be the one that makes a big difference in the passing game. Freshman Malik Jackson returns after a redshirt season where he’ll look to put a year’s worth of strength and conditioning together onto the field, but Baylor is an intriguing candidate to fill the role as a blocking tight end. His raw skills and size out of high school made the move to trenches a seamless transition, but now, he’ll get a good chance of applying his improved hand placement to block on the other side of the ball. Blount, meanwhile, showed off his offensive touch at St. Charles High School and could have the size to absorb contact in the passing game. Will be interesting to watch as the move proves beneficial for the unit, but they can now use preseason camp to separate themselves within the two-deep.
Defensive End
Lawtez Rogers entered 2019 as the expected starter at defensive end before senior Brett Kulka dethroned him midway through the season. Rogers will again have a chance to win the starting position heading into his fourth year with the program but will have to lock down the position. The addition of NC State transfer Joseph Boletepeli could loom here where he could find a fit at defensive end or JACK, but his expected immediate eligibility helps increase the competition. Junior B’Ahmad Miller will look to find his niche in the rotation as the unit hopes to improve upon last season’s pass rush. Maryland finished second-worst in the Big Ten after forcing less than two sacks a game, an area that the defensive line will look to address this year. Maryland added juco prospect Mosiah Nasili-Kite to the room to help add more veteran experience off the edge and he’ll undoubtedly enter camp as another that could become more of a quick pass-rusher off the edge. Maryland will look to sort out the front three ahead of their first expected game at Iowa on September 5.
MIKE
Inside linebacker is undeniably a strength on the Maryland roster between Chance Campbell, Ayinde Eley and Shaq Smith. While Eley locks down the starting spot at the WILL, it will be interesting to note who emerges as the starter between Campbell and Smith. Both will undoubtedly play to help keep the linebackers as fresh as possible during the season, but Smith’s transition inside is where many expect him to flourish compared to the JACK. The outside linebacker role he played in 2019 was a position he had to acclimate himself to, so the move inside could bolster the unit. But Campbell showed off range in pass coverage while even coming down with an acrobatic third quarter interception against Temple, while displaying the downhill tenacity needed to secure the tackle. Campbell’s strong nose for the ball and instincts have been hard to ignore through his first two seasons with the program as he could emerge as a leader for the defense in his junior year. Position of strength could benefit from the competition Locksley has previously credited before and during the 2019 season as Campbell and Smith provide certainty inside.
Cornerback
Both Marcus Lewis and Tino Ellis are gone, but Maryland’s secondary had a chance to play through absences in the secondary in 2019. Ellis missed half the season with an upper-body injury while Lewis missed a pair of games in October, vaulting freshmen Vincent Flythe, Deonte Banks and Lavonte Gater into the rotation. That experience serves them well going into year two on the field as the trio will become focal points in the rotation. Junior cornerback Kenny Bennett rounds out the room while sophomore Isaiah Hazel moved to defensive back to add his length into the mix. Hazel, a former four-star wide receiver, also posted strong highlights as a defensive back out of Wise High School and is familiar with the technique to aid his transition to defense.
JuCo signee Jakorian Bennett could prove to be an impact signee on defense as the versatile defensive back could vie for the starting job on the outside. The First Team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference selection totaled a trio of interceptions and 25 tackles last season as his knowledge for the game could assist the secondary as they gel together under new position coach Henry Baker.
