Former Kent State QB Devin Kargman Joining Maryland Football as Walk-On
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Even with spring classes underway at Maryland and colleges all over the U.S., football transfer portal action hasn't quite stopped just yet.
The portal has been closed to new entrants for a couple weeks, but there are still many players looking for a new home in 2026. That list shrunk by one recently in an under-the-radar move.
As first reported by ESPN college football reporter Max Olson, former Kent State quarterback Devin Kargman is joining the Terps as a graduate walk-on.
Maryland has signed Kent State transfer QB Devin Kargman, ESPN has learned.
— Max Olson (@max_olson) February 4, 2026
Kargman threw for 1,159 yards and 8 TDs over 7 career starts at Kent State. The grad transfer is joining the Terps' QB room as a walk-on. pic.twitter.com/8gWt6CSLTc
Kargman spent four years with the Golden Flashes, playing in 16 games (starting seven) and throwing 103/209 (49.3%) for 1,159 yards, eight touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Originally a three-star QB prospect, the Camden, NJ native had a Maryland offer out of high school. He also collected ones from Rutgers, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and others before choosing Kent.
He had briefly entered the transfer portal last spring before electing to return to the Flashes for 2025. In very limited action, he completed eight of 17 passes for 74 yards.
While his stats don't scream "special", Kargman is veteran depth that Maryland could use in their QB room. Malik Washington played all but 53 snaps last season, and the two guys who compiled those snaps - Khristian Martin and Justyn Martin (unrelated) - have both left via the transfer portal.
The Terrapins' other options at quarterback are Jackson Hamilton, who redshirted as a freshman last fall, and incoming three-star Nathan Bernhard.
A healthy Washington is crucial to any chance of a successful season, but in the worst-case scenario where he is injured and misses time, someone with game experience is preferable to throwing in one of the others while they're still extremely raw.
Also keep in mind the state of the program Kargman departed. Kent State was a punching bag during most of his tenure there, going a combined 1-23 with just an FCS win between 2023 and 2024.
In 2024, he was thrown out as a sacrificial lamb in back-to-back road games at #7 Tennessee and #10 Penn State - the latter of which resulted in a nasty season-ending hip injury. Last year, it was #5 Oklahoma who roughed him up in his lone start.
Maryland, while not excellent overall, is miles ahead of what he had to deal with there. The Terps' offensive line surrendered just nine sacks all of last season, and three of the five starters remain in College Park, now accompanied by a top performer from the Sun Belt.
Kargman brings the Terrapins transfer class up to 11. Combined with the 74 returning players and 18 incoming freshmen, they have only two open spots remaining on the roster.
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Mike joined Maryland On SI with over four years of sportswriting experience. He started off his career in Syracuse on the Orange football beat, where he was featured on CBS Sports' Cover 3 Podcast and local ESPN sports talk radio. After that, he had a brief stint reporting on Major League Baseball before returning to college sports.
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