Maryland Athletics Announces Details for 2026 Spring Showcase
In this story:
In less than a month, Maryland football fans will have the opportunity to watch their team for free at SECU Stadium... but it'll be a bit different than previous years.
Instead of the traditional Red-White Spring Game, which was an intrasquad scrimmage, the Spring Showcase is described as an "open practice format" in Maryland's press release.
Head Coach Mike Locksley previously said that this spring camp would feature more "developmental practices" as opposed to full team scrimmages, and this change reinforces that statement.
The Showcase will take place on Saturday, April 25th. SECU Stadium's Gate I (home sideline) will open at 12 PM, and practice is scheduled to begin at 1 PM.
Fans do not need a ticket to enter, nor will they need to pay for parking.
As part of the event, Maryland Athletics will also open the next door Jones-Hill House for Terpsville Fan Fest.
The Terps' indoor practice facility will be open 10 AM - 12:30 PM, and again from 2:30 - 4 PM after the Showcase.
Members of the men's and women's basketball teams will be signing autographs at 11 AM inside the facility, and football players will also be available for autographs after the conclusion of their practice.
Maryland's spring roster is composed of 70 returning players, 13 of their 14 transfers in, and 11 early enrollees from the freshmen class.
While Coach Locksley did not discuss the Spring Showcase format during his recent media availability, I previously covered a spring "game" in Syracuse that had more of a practice environment.
In 2023, the ACC still required every team to have a spring game that would be broadcasted on the conference's network.
Then-SU Head Coach Dino Babers skirted around that rule a bit by instituting a strictly offense (orange jerseys) vs. defense (blue jerseys) exhibition, crafted around specific game situations.
The quarterbacks wore white "no contact" jerseys, and Babers stood on the field about 10 yards behind them.
The first two offensive "drives" were started at the 25-yard line on either side of the field, without a kickoff first. Later ones began anywhere from inside the 20 to past the 50.
As the practice went on, different quarterbacks and other players subbed in, sometimes during the middle of possessions. But no score was kept, and only a few real tackles were made throughout.
There were a few oddities, such as kicker Brady Denaburg taking three consecutive field goal tries from the same yardage but different angles (centered, left hash, and right hash):
Yet overall, the experience wasn't much to write about.
Hopefully, whatever Locksley and his staff have planned is a bit more engaging for the Maryland supporters who make the trip to campus.
More from Maryland On SI
Stay up to date with the Terrapins by bookmarking Maryland On SI and follow us on Twitter.
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.
Follow MOstrowski_