Five burning questions heading into Texas week

Who starts at quarterback?

The biggest question surrounding the Terps throughout fall camp was who would start at quarterback.

The Terps brought in UNC transfer Caleb Henderson and the hope was that he could grab a hold of the starting job and hold onto it until freshman Kasim Hill was ready to take over the reigns. But Henderson suffered a foot injury that required surgery after spring ball and hadn’t separated himself from the pack like the coaches would have liked. This left Tyrrell Pigrome as the leader in the clubhouse heading into fall camp.

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Throughout fall camp, Pigrome took a bulk of the first-team snaps under center and showed flashes of promise, especially with his feet. During the final open practice of camp, Pigrome took the majority of first-team snaps and made some big plays.

Hill also took first-team reps throughout fall camp and with his combination of size, arm strength and ability to run seems certain to take his fair share of snaps this season for the Terps. But asking a true freshman to step in Week 1 and try to lead your team to victory in front of over 100,000 hostile fans is a tall order.

With fall camp a wrap, Maryland head coach DJ Durkin let it be known August 25 that he plans on naming his starting quarterback when the first depth chart is released ahead of Texas. After showing some gamesmanship last year with regards to naming a starting QB from week to week, Durkin seems confident in his choice heading into Texas and hopefully that confidence carries over to whomever he chooses to start Week 1.

Just how good is the Terps’ defense?

After leading the No. 4-ranked defenses in the country as defensive coordinator at Florida and then Michigan in 2014 and 2015, DJ Durkin likely had many sleepless nights in 2016 trying to figure out how to improve a Maryland defense that finished ranked No. 80 nationally in 2016.

The Terps played a number of true freshmen in the secondary in 2016 and transfer JC Jackson--arguably the team’s most talented cornerback--was thrust into action while learning on the fly.

Fast forward to 2017 and the Terps’ secondary appears to be one of the team’s biggest strengths. Starting cornerbacks Jackson and Tino Ellis have some experience under their belts and the safety position has seen an infusion of talent and depth.

Up front, the Terps will start four seniors along the defensive line this year. And perhaps equally as important as the unit’s experience is the fact they will be led by new co-defensive coordinator Jimmy Brumbaugh, who has previous experience working with fellow co-defensive coordinator Andy Buh in the SEC.

With added experience, depth and time to learn the system, expect the Terps’ defense to take a big leap forward this season.

What will the running back rotation look like?

A bright spot for the Terps last season was the running game. Maryland averaged just shy of 200 yards (199.5 YPG) per game on the ground last season and had a 1,000-yard rusher in then sophomore Ty Johnson. Lorenzo Harrison stepped right in as a true freshman and saw a bulk of the carries before being suspended for the final four games of the season.

Fast forward to fall camp and Johnson as well as Harrison both look poised to build on last season, while true freshmen Anthony McFarland and Javon Leake look ready to contribute immediately.

Offensive coordinator Walt Bell has consistently found carries for as many as four, sometimes five backs per game during his tenure. Look for that trend to continue as the Terps have stockpiled young talent in the backfield.

While last season Harrison and Johnson saw the bulk of the carries, don’t be surprised to see Bell go with a hot hand this season, whether it be Johnson, Harrison or one of McFarland or Leake. The Terps should have the talent and depth to wear defenses down late with the run game.

Can the offensive line take the next step?

As good as the Terps’ offensive line looked last season in the run game, it looked equally bad at times in pass protection.

After plenty shuffling of lineups up front a year ago, the Terps appear to have a core group of starters along the offensive line ready to take the next step as a group.

Redshirt junior Derwin Gray seems to have finally settled in at left tackle opposite fellow redshirt junior and former five-star Damian Prince at right tackle.

Prince, along with junior center Brendan Moore started all 13 games for the Terps a season ago, while sophomore guard Terrance Davis played in all 13 games, starting the final nine. The lone newcomer up front is junior guard Sean Christie, who took a bulk of the first team reps during fall camp.

With Gray healthy and Christie having grabbed an early hold of the second guard spot, the Terps should hopefully have some cohesion along the offensive line they haven’t seen in several years. The key will be keeping all five starters healthy throughout the season as depth still appears to be a concern along the o-line.

How many true freshman will see the field?

One thing is certain under Maryland head coach DJ Durkin: the best players are going to see the field, regardless of class.

A season ago, 17 true freshmen saw the field at some point, most playing significant roles for the Terps.

The heralded DeMatha trio of Terrance Davis, Tino Ellis and Lorenzo Harrison started a combined 12 games last year, with others such as quarterbacks Tyrrell Pigrome and Max Bortenschlager also being thrown into the fire at one point.

This year, Durkin and Co. brought in an even higher ranked (No. 17) recruiting class with even more incoming players. Kasim Hill, Anthony McFarland and Markquese Bell are some of the instant-impact true freshmen that should see playing time early and often throughout the season.

While the Terps will certainly play their share of true freshmen, that number is likely to be far less than the 17 from a year ago. A good sign for both Maryland’s talent and depth going forward.