Terps fans got their first look at what 2019 Maryland football will look last Saturday with the annual Red-White Spring Game taking place in College Park.

Spring ball has answered some of our initial questions about the Michael Locksley era, but many specifics will continue to take shape throughout the summer and in August during fall camp once the incoming freshmen and transfers join the team.

With spring camp now in the books, it’s time to take a step back and break down the state of affairs in Maryland football position by position. First up, the offense.

Quarterback

The quarterback room looks like it could be the strongest it has been in quite some time in College Park come fall. The Terps were down to their presumed fourth and fifth options under center for their spring scrimmage with junior Tyrrell Pigrome being held out as a precaution because of knee soreness as well as incoming four-star freshman Lance Legendre and grad-transfer Josh Jackson not set to join the team for a few more months.

But Maryland’s available gunslingers last Saturday--Max Bortenschlager and Tyler DeSue--still put on a show, throwing for a combined 570 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. DeSue even brought home Boomer Esiason MVP honors for his 281-yard, two touchdown, and no-turnover performance. DeSue also flashed his athleticism by rushing for 34 yards on four attempts.

Both quarterbacks were making their reads and connecting with their pass catchers. In total, Bortenschlager and DeSue spread the ball around to 15 different Terps through the air. If that’s how the arms buried on the depth chart are going to play, albeit with only a few weeks to learn the new offense, you’d have to think some truly special talent is going to emerge atop this group come fall.

Running Back

To nobody’s surprise, Maryland’s running backs looked great in the spring game. The backfield is probably the most talent-rich area of the Terps’ roster and it shows immensely pretty much every time Anthony McFarland, Javon Leake, or Tayon Fleet-Davis touch the ball. McFarland started for the Red Team while Fleet-Davis got the nod for the White Team, Leake donned a black jersey and played for both squads.

In total, Maryland’s three primary backs entering next season rushed for a combined 176 yards on 29 carries. McFarland got the game’s scoring going early with a 35-yard scamper on the fifth play from scrimmage, and Leake later scored by making an extremely athletic lunge toward the pylon to finish his run. Fleet-Davis displayed his versatility out of the backfield by adding six receptions for 60 yards to his totals.

Redshirt juniors Lorenzo Harrison and Jake Funk are on the mend and expected to join the running backs room at full health in the fall, but this appears to be a group that isn’t going to need much help past the first three runners, particularly if McFarland can stay healthy and take the next step toward becoming one of the better backs in the Big Ten.

Wide Receiver

With a hodgepodge of talent at wide receiver in College Park, many expect sophomores Jeshaun Jones and Dontay Demus to have big pass-catching roles in Maryland’s offense next year after each enjoyed impressive freshman seasons. But beyond Jones and Demus, it remains to be seen who will emerge as top targets through the air.

The spring game gave us a glimpse at how that might shape up. Sophomore Brian Cobbs came on strong at the end of last season and kept that momentum rolling this spring. He was a standout in spring practices and it translated over to the spring game, in which Cobbs led all wideouts with 102 yards on five receptions.

Cobbs’ teammates on the White Team and fellow sophomores Sean Nelson and Carlos Carriere also looked impressive during the spring scrimmage, each hauling in five receptions for 56 yards. Senior DJ Turner led the Red Team with 63 receiving yards on two catches. Jones and Demus were relatively quiet, combining for seven catches and 79 yards, but based on physical talent and past production, they still appear to be the best bets to lead the Terps in receiving come fall. Incoming freshmen Isaiah Hazel and Dino Tomlin could also factor into the mix next season, as both enter college with plenty of skill and potential.

Tight End

The only thing really holding back wide receiver production last Saturday were all the balls being caught by Terps tight ends, who stole the show. A position that has been neglected in College Park in recent years, Maryland head coach Michael Locksley made it a point to get them involved early and often. The result: four receiving touchdowns by three different tight ends, including a dominant performance by sophomore Chigoziem Okonkwo.

Okonkwo led all pass catchers with seven receptions, which he used to produce 63 yards and two touchdowns. If the White Team had won the game, Okonkwo very well could have been named MVP. His production for the tight ends room was supplemented by fifth-year senior and converted wideout, Michael Cornwell, as well as junior Robert Schwob, who each found paydirt once during the spring game.

After the game, Okonkwo expressed to reporters just how much more tight-end friendly Maryland’s new offense is compared to last year and he seemed genuinely excited to see what type of year he can have in Locksley’s system. He even welcomed comparisons to former Alabama tight end, now Minnesota Viking, Irv Smith, who had a great career in Tuscaloosa under the tutelage of Locksley.

Cornwell looks like he could be a sleeper to produce at tight end along with Okonkwo, but a major impact at the position should also be made by incoming grad-transfer and former All-MAC performer, Tyler Mabry. Freshmen Malik Jackson and Tyler Devera will also add depth to the tight ends room in the fall.

Offensive Line

Hard to get too much of a read on offensive line play in a spring scrimmage where incumbent starters are split across two teams and there is very little blitzing from the defense. However, with offensive fronts on both sides being comprised of combinations of blockers who are not used to working together, the offensive line play on Saturday looked pretty good.

Redshirt freshman Jaelyn Duncan, who has received a lot of buzz this spring as the favorite to fill the vacant starting tackle position opposite Marcus Minor, received the MVP award given to either a Terps’ linemen or pass rusher for their performance in the spring game. Duncan helped keep DeSue clean throughout the game, while also being used as a pass-catcher on a gadget play. Duncan’s 7-yard catch-and-run helped him stand out and earn postgame recognition.

If Maryland’s starting offensive line in the fall happens to be Minor, Terrance Davis, Johnny Jordan, Sean Christie, and Duncan, it’s a more-than-formidable group with plenty of size. The question will be how their chemistry is together with limited experience playing alongside each other and the fact that several pieces to the puzzle have been sidelined at times throughout the spring with minor injuries. Much of the Terps’ success on offense next year will certainly rely on this unit.