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Fall Camp Preview: Quarterbacks

Caleb Henderson (No. 6) hasn't seen game action since his freshman season.
Caleb Henderson (No. 6) hasn't seen game action since his freshman season.

Graduated: Perry Hills, Caleb Rowe,

Returning: Caleb Henderson, Tyrrell Pigrome, Max Bortenschlager

Incoming: Kasim Hill, Ryan Brand

Last season, the Terps’ first under the tutelage of head coach D.J. Durkin, Maryland’s quarterback situation took a step in the right direction after a struggle to find consistency at the position the year prior.

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Senior passer Perry Hills became the bonafide starter under center in College Park, but a shoulder injury kept him shuffling in and out of the lineup for much of the year. Still, Hills led the Terps in every meaningful passing category in 2016, while also topping the Big Ten in completion percentage (61.9 percent).

In spot action, then-freshmen Tyrrell Pigrome and Max Bortenschlager showed glimpses of why Durkin and his staff were so eager to recruit them. Pigrome appeared in 11 games and made one start, while Bortenschlager appeared in two games, including one start.

Pigrome’s signature moment was a game-winning 24-yard scamper that won the game for the Terps in double-overtime at Central Florida. Bortenschlager showed off his arm and pocket presence by completing 14-for-29 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown in his lone start at Nebraska. In short, Pigrome proved to be the superior athlete with highlight-reel potential on any given play, while Bortenschlager flashed more pocket presence and was better at protecting the ball.

With Hills now graduated, Pigrome and Bortenschlager could find themselves in the mix under center once again as sophomores, but it won’t be easy for them to win the job with several other talented arms on the roster.

Junior gunslinger Caleb Henderson, who sat out in 2016 per NCAA policy after transferring from North Carolina to Maryland last summer, seemed in line to takeover as the Terps starter after an impressive spring. But Henderson sat out of Maryland’s spring game with a broken foot, which later required surgery, and his health entering fall camp is still to be determined.

Henderson, Bortenschlager and Pigrome all had their moments during spring ball, although Henderson appeared to be the most polished of the bunch. But perhaps the biggest threat to push for the starting job in fall camp wasn’t even on campus yet during spring practices. That would be talented, incoming freshman Kasim Hill, who had a prominent high school career locally at Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College.

Hill arrived in College Park earlier this summer and has already dove into the Terps playbook. He has the size, athleticism and football IQ to live up to his four-star billing and could make his impact felt sooner than later if the coaching staff deems him ready.

Top Storyline:

Who wins the quarterback battle?

This seems to be a repetitive storyline for Maryland’s quarterbacks over the past few offseasons. Terps fans will have to anxiously wait again for Durkin to name a starting signal caller. But the pool of competition under center this fall camp is the deepest talent-wise that there has been in College Park in quite some time.

But besides winning the starting gig, the Terps quarterbacks will also be battling each other for depth chart position. Maryland knows all too well how quickly the person under center can change throughout the course of a season. The term “next-man-up” has become a mantra in College Park and whoever finishes fall camp second, or even third, on the depth chart should stay ready and feel decent about their chances to contribute at some point.

Prediction:

Yes, we’ve already pointed out how Maryland quarterbacks have had a hard time staying on the field in recent history. Henderson is just the latest Terps passer to be dealing with an injury. He will be about three months removed from foot surgery when he enters fall camp, and he should be 100 percent ready by that time. But setbacks can occur during rehab and it’s tough to predict how Henderson will be feeling come August.

But if he’s healthy, Henderson has the tools to win the job outright.

A former four-star recruit, Henderson has just about everything you’d look for in a high-level Division-I quarterback--size, arm strength, mobility, accuracy. He’ll have to prove next just how well he can run the Terps offense in a game setting. Making nice throws in spring practice is peachy, but Maryland fans are eager to see his grasp of offensive coordinator Walt Bell’s offense and just how fluidly it can run with him at the helm.

Henderson will have a chance to build upon what he showed throughout most of spring ball. But Hill is talented enough to seriously compete to be Maryland’s starting quarterback as a true freshman.

Henderson provides a similar skill set with an upperclassman presence, and it could end up making the most sense for the Terps to save a year of Hill’s eligibility and elect for a redshirt, especially with Bortenschlager and Pigrome appearing to be serviceable backups, but the rookie is said to be turning heads already through his summer workouts in College Park and Hill will certainly not roll over and hand anyone the job this fall.

Hill has been the face of Maryland’s 2017 class since he committed to the Terps and he very well could take over as the leader in College Park from the jump.

With a seemingly more talented arm starting regardless of who wins the job and explosive skill-position players in place, Maryland’s offense could reach new heights this season.

The running game is already incredibly strong in College Park, but this year the receiving corps could begin to catch up. Scoring points was a problem at times for the Perry Hills-led Terps last season, but pass catchers were often open and just missed on poor throws. With Hill or Henderson’s throwing ability, the sky could be the limit for Maryland when it has the ball this season.

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