Why Offensive Coordinator Clint Trickett's Concepts Can Make Maryland's Offense Elite In 2026?

Time and time again we've talked about what Clint Trickett will do to elevate the Terps offense this season, let's really dive into the X's and O's about what that means.

Oct 11, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Nolan Ray (2) run through Nebraska Cornhuskers defensives lineman Kade Pietrzak (93) tackle attempt for a touchdown during the first half at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If there's been one thing that Maryland Terrapin football fans have been excited about, it's seeing how the offense is going to look under newly signed offensive coordinator Clint Trickett's offense and how sophomore quarterback Malik Washington will progress in year two.

Trickett brings a balanced style of offense that fits the mold of Maryland's previous schemes and approach.

Trickett utilizes an air-raid-style offense and blends it with a run concept he has gone in depth on before, called "Flat and Fast".

Let's break down what both concepts are and how they will benefit the Terps' success in moving the ball in 2026.

Air Raid

The air raid offense is a more up-tempo style of offense that chips away at defenses with short underneath passes, opening up rushing lanes and enabling attacks downfield with more intermediate routes. Usually the formation setup is out of shotgun and can even come out of the pistol formation, where the quarterbacks can utilize RPOs and put stress on the linebackers and edge rushers.

What are the advantages of the air raid attack? Well, first, it opens up rushing lanes for running backs to get downhill and make explosive plays. The air raid concept is meant to wear down defenses and keep them on their heels, leading to mistakes and opening up explosive plays for offensive playmakers.

For the Terps, it'll help their running backs stay on the positive end of plays and ensure the offense isn't one-dimensional. Maryland averaged 104.3 rushing yards per contest, which ranked second-worst in the Big Ten and was among the least efficient in the country, averaging only 4.1 yards per carry and scoring on the ground nine times last season.

Returning lead running back DeJaun Williams will get more of a chance to showcase what he can be as an every-down back. Williams not only can be a physical presence out of the backfield but is a highly elite pass catcher who thrives in YAC situations (45 receptions for 426 yards in 2025: a new Maryland single-season record).

Moving over to Washington under the helm, he'll thrive in this concept, which allows him to make quick decisions in the passing game without having to wait for receivers to get open on longer-developing routes and to get in rhythm early. It also allows him to utilize his legs to move outside the pocket and stretch defenses, and open up plays down the field in chunks.

"Flat and Run"

In a normal flat-and-run concept, the quarterback reads the defensive ends, in which case he'll read the defensive end's leverage. If the defensive end stays wide to the outside, it's an inside handoff to the back; if the defensive end pinches, it's an outside handoff to the back.

Within Trickett's concept of the "flat and run," the approach is flipped between the quarterback and running back. The running back looks to leverage himself more to the outside; the tight end blocks the outermost defender to allow the running back to use his speed to beat the edge rusher. If the edge goes for the running back once the play snaps, then the QB will keep the ball and bounce to the opposite side.

One thing Trickett emphasizes for the running back is to work "ball to block" to avoid holding penalties being called on the tight end, and for the quarterback not to get too far wide on the handoff exchanges.

The common trend within Trickett's scheme is to read from the line to the middle and to the deep halves to understand how aggressively the defense is playing a side in order to make your reads for an outside or inside run.

With the explosiveness of Washington, Williams, and new transfer additions Harry Dalton III and Terrez Worthy who bring speed and agility outside the hashes that can thrive in this scheme.

Expect receivers to be utilized in jet sweeps and end arounds to stretch the boundaries and use explosiveness to move up the field as well.

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