Maryland Lands RB Trequan Jones as First Transfer Portal Addition
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Mike Locksley and the Maryland Terrapins have started off their transfer portal shopping with a bang.
Running the ball was a major weakness for the offense last season (104.3 yards-per-game, 124th of 136 FBS teams), and the program looks to address that by bringing in one of the nation's most explosive rushers.
Trequan Jones, a rising senior coming off a breakout campaign with Old Dominion, will be joining the Terps, according to his agency.
Jones had 105 carries for 792 yards and six touchdowns last fall, also catching six passes for 20 yards. His 7.5 yards-per-carry ranked second among all qualified running backs nationally, trailing only Louisville's Isaac Brown.
Before committing to Maryland, Jones had scheduled visits to several other Power 4 programs - Cincinnati, Louisville, Michigan State, and Pitt. His quick decision to commit and cancel those visits should bode well for his involvement in the Maryland offense next season.
The Terps' leading rusher in 2025 was freshman DeJuan Williams, who ran for 501 yards and three TDs on 128 carries. He was also a frequent check down target, with 45 catches for 426 yards and a TD.
QB Malik Washington was next in line with 56 carries, 303 yards and four touchdowns. Many of those were scrambles in what was a pass-heavy Maryland offense.
Nolan Ray was the Terps' number two back, but he entered the transfer portal along with nine others on Friday. Like Jones, he was more of a pure runner than an occasional pass catcher, but the results - 289 yards on 67 carries - were not nearly as impressive.
Jones started his career at the Georgia Military Academy, which competed at the JuCo level, before transferring to Old Dominion ahead of last season.
At ODU, he split touches with both Baltimore native Devin Roche and QB Colton Joseph in what was the polar opposite of the Terrapin offense. The trio helped the Monarchs average 238.3 yards-per-game, good for the seventh-best rate in the nation.
It may not create that big of a boost, but a third dependable rusher alongside Williams and Washington should be a notable improvement nonetheles.
With a new running back secured, Coach Locksley can turn his attention to the receivers' room. The Terps' three leading receivers - Shaleak Knotts, Jalil Farooq, and Octavian Smith Jr. - all graduated, leaving a combined 1,821 yards of offensive production to be made up.
We'll keep you updated with transfer news as more players make their decisions.
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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.