Maryland Football Retains Starting Left Tackle for 2026 Season
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A day after finding out one of their starting offensive linemen would be entering the transfer portal, the Maryland Terrapins made sure another one won't be following him.
Just over one year from when he first joined the Terps through the portal, left tackle Rahtrel Perry has confirmed he will be returning to College Park for his senior season.
Maryland football made the announcement on social media:
.@RAHTREL is back ‼️🔁 pic.twitter.com/id2JZOsaNu
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) January 15, 2026
Perry started his college career with Central Connecticut State, an FCS school. He spent three years with the program and was their starting left tackle in 2024.
After transferring to Maryland last January, he was awarded the same role there. Perry started all 12 games in 2025, taking only one penalty the entire year while allowing two sacks and six quarterback hits.
Perry also earned a 64.0 pass blocking grade from PFF. While that mark was the lowest of the starting five, it's a welcome retention when three of them won't be back for this year.
In addition to Wednesday's sudden departure, right tackle Alan Herron and left guard Isaiah Wright both ran out of eligibility last year. It currently leaves what was previously a very experienced o-line with some serious holes to fill.
There are some internal options who might step into starting jobs. Ryan Howerton and Amory Hills both played over 100 snaps at guard spots last fall.
Jaylen Gilchrist, a four-star prospect who redshirted as a true freshman, could be in the mix for an interior role as well.
There are also a pair of incoming three-stars in the Class of 2026, but ideally, the Terps will add some veteran blockers via the portal. It just hasn't happened yet.
Center Michael Hershey is the other starter to remain on the Terps. Only a rising junior, he led the unit with an 83.5 pass blocking grade while starting all 12 games.
Keeping the two of them together is an early win for head coach Mike Locksley, who faces an uphill battle in trying to return the program to bowl contention after missing out on a 13th game the past two years.
Perry's (re)commitment means that Maryland stays at 15 transfers out and eight others in. You can view them all with our transfer portal tracker, which will continue to be updated as more announcements are made.
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Mike joined Sports Illustrated 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 a brief stint reporting on Major League Baseball, he returned to the college landscape with Maryland On SI.