Ranking Maryland Football's 2026 Transfer Portal Additions
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The annual transfer portal shuffle is nearing its end, and Maryland football has emerged from the chaos with 12 new players.
But what exactly does Head Coach Mike Locksley have to work with from that endeavor? That's what this article is meant to answer.
The dozen additions all have a role to fill, ranging from immediate starter to "break glass in case of emergency."
Here's how the transfer class is divided:
The Essentials
These players fill desperate needs on the roster, caused either by players graduating or transferring out. They have relevant experience at other programs which makes them clear candidates to be first stringers.
With the Terps' top three receivers from 2025 all out of eligibility, a big play threat like Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding was near the top of their shopping list.
He had a team-high 51 receptions for 667 yards (13.1 YPC) and six touchdowns at Old Dominion - all in an offense that was more run-heavy.
Slot receiver Chris Durr Jr. is the other big addition in the passing game. He led Wyoming with 45 catches, 469 yards, and four TDs last year.
Both guys should continue to be high-volume targets with Malik Washington under center.
Tellek Lockette wasn't originally in the Terps' plans, but after Aliou Bah was lured away by LSU, they had to scramble for a replacement right guard.
Lockette stood out as one of the Sun Belt's best pass blockers in 2023 and 2024, but a Week 3 injury last fall led him to redshirt and preserve his final year of eligibility. He'll attempt to stabilize the right side of an o-line that will also have a new starting tackle.
Finally, Amari Jackson should be a lock for the second corner spot... as long as he remains healthy.
Jackson couldn't stay on the field the past two years, only playing in a combined nine games for Boston College. However, he was BC's top corner in 2023 and also started both of his injury-shortened seasons with the first teamers.
The Intermediates
These players join the Terps without being obvious favorites to start. That being said, they should crack the two-deep with the potential for a fair chunk of snaps.
Two of the defensive line transfers fall under this category. One, if not both of them, could win jobs in the interior, but they'll face competition from both returning backups and the other pair of DL additions.
Lavon Johnson returns after a year-long layover in Austin, and with it being his last year of eligibility, he has just one more chance to earn a first-team assignment.
Derrick LeBlanc Jr. had a stretch where he nearly swiped a starting spot at UCF, but he hit the portal after fizzling out near the end of the season. He joins Maryland with two years of eligibility remaining.
Preston Howard is likely the backup to Dorian Fleming, who is coming off a successful sophomore season as the Terps' top tight end. While Fleming didn't quite match his production as a Georgia State freshman, he still nearly doubled Howard's numbers from 2024.
The homecoming should help give Howard boost from a dismal campaign at Auburn, but he may end up with a higher share of blocking snaps than before.
At first, Harry Dalton III seemed like more of a depth piece. Trequan Jones was supposed to follow Gladding to College Park, but he ended up backing out and instead transferring to Tulsa.
That leaves DeJuan Williams as the clear No. 1 RB, and Dalton as one of four candidates to be his backup. Iverson Howard (39 carries, 125 yards) is the only one with more touches, and Dalton's former four-star rating seems like an implicit edge.
The Unknowns
These players don't yet have a clear spot on the depth chart.
DL Armon and Jayvon Parker are at the top of this group. The twins come over from Washington with one major flaw: loaded injury histories. Armon had two season-ending injuries before finally making it into eight games last year, while Jayvon has played just five times off the bench the past two seasons.
Unlike Jackson, neither has starting experience to make up for their recent woes. It's too early to gauge the brothers' status - their landing spots could truly be anywhere from starter to third string.
Next up is JUCO transfer Ejani Shakir. While the other two WRs were brought in with DI starting experience, Shakir will face a massive jump in opposing talent in the Big Ten.
Last year's JUCO addition, Jordan Scott, was sparsely used throughout the fall. It's more likely that redshirt senior Kaleb Webb (22 catches, 318 yards, two TDs) slides into a starting spot over Shakir, but he could instead find immediate playing time on special teams.
Quarterback Devin Kargman rounds out the transfers as the only confirmed walk-on. He is a veteran option to back up Washington, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be the second-string QB.
The other two QBs on the roster, Jackson Hamilton and Nathan Bernard, have a grand total of zero collegiate snaps between them. They might get priority for late-game duties in the non-conference slate, but chucking either one into a Big Ten contest unprepared doesn't seem wise.
In that sense, Kargman may be the emergency option to call upon if Washington is ever injured... at least until one of the two freshmen is ready to take over.
Overall, national media isn't giving his class much confidence. Manny Navaro of The Athletic gave the Terps a "D+" grade in his Big Ten transfer portal rankings, tied for last in the conference with Michigan State.
We'll see if any of those opinions change after spring camp.
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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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