Neeo Avery Departing Maryland Football

The end of the College Football season for teams that will not see bowl or playoff play can be tough. With that, some players look towards the future and are already mapping out their 2026 season.

Maryland linebacker Neeo Avery has entered his name into the transfer portal ahead of the official offseason, reported first by Max Olson of ESPN. Avery, a four-star prospect out of Olney, Maryland, has spent two seasons at College Park and has at least two to three years of eligibility remaining after his redshirt sophomore year.

Another expected outgoing departure with Neeo Avery, a former four-star out of Good Counsel, headed elsewhere. Avery totaled five tackles and two TFLs in 15 games over the last two seasons https://t.co/SIEknQ5tG8
— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) December 16, 2025

In two seasons with the Terps, Avery appeared in 15 total games, registering five total tackles (four solo & one assisted), and two tackles for loss. Unfortunately, he missed his entire freshman season due to an ACL injury.

Brian Dohn, a national recruiting analyst of 247 Sports, described Avery's playing style when he was coming out of Our Lady of Good Counsel as:

"Quick twitched and fires off well at snap. Has the flexibility to dip the shoulder and get around the edge. Changes direction and has the speed to chase plays down on the back side. Physical when taking on blocks. Can feign outside and beat offensive tackles inside. Has closing speed. Length and athleticism allows him excel in space. Shows ability to disengage.

Avery was playing behind linebackers Daniel Wingate and Trey Reddick, who led that position group. As far as Avery being plugged in on the defensive line off the edge, the strong play of the rookie duo of Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis (13 sacks combined) had them on the field for most possessions.

It's unfortunate for Avery, who missed out on that freshman season; even if he had been healthy, he'd still may have seen little of the field. Despite that, the practice reps and learning behind upperclassmen factor heavily into the development of younger players stepping into more expanded roles when their names are called, especially after seniors leave or player movement within the portal.

Wherever Avery goes next in his collegiate football career, hopefully, he will get an opportunity to see the field more and carve out a larger role on the defense.

For the Terps, they'll continue to approach the offseason with more work to do and steadily improve their program, which is looking to bounce back from back-to-back seasons below .500 finishes and non-bowl game eligibility.

It'll be interesting to see how Mike Locksley and his staff utilize a growing defensive line group that has some good players and strategize a role for a lot of talented individuals.

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