The 2023 Maryland football season has officially arrived, as the Terps will take on the in-state Towson Tigers Saturday afternoon.
Despite coming off of back-to-back winning seasons with back-to-back bowl wins, there are still many questions that surround this year's team.
Below, TSR takes a look at three things to watch for Saturday in the Terps' season opener versus Towson.
Who starts along the offensive line?
This is likely the biggest question mark heading into Saturday afternoon's kickoff at SECU Stadium.
After losing three starting offensive linemen to the NFL and a fourth to the transfer portal, tackle DJ Glaze is the lone returning starter in the trenches for Maryland.
The Terps brought in a trio of experienced linemen from lower levels in North Carolina Central transfer Corey Bullock, Frostburg transfer Gottlieb Ayedze and Elon transfer Mike Purcell, to come in and compete for starting spots.
So far, Bullock seems cemented as the Terps' starting left guard, but the other two spots haven't been as cut and dry.
Ayedze, who has garnered some attention from the NFL, was expected to come in and win the right tackle spot. But he has missed some recent practice time and could see limited snaps or possibly not see the field at all versus Towson. Redshirt junior walk-on Conor Fagan, who was seen running with the first team during practice Week 1, would likely start at right tackle if Ayedze were to sit.
As for Purcell, he was late to arrive on campus and has been in a battle for the starting center spot with returning lineman Aric Harris since the beginning of fall camp.
While Harris seemed to get the bulk of the starter snaps to begin fall camp, Purcell has seen his workload with the starting group increase leading up to Saturday's opener, with it seeming likely that Purcell will indeed be the starting center when the offense takes the field for the first time versus Towson.
As for Glaze, while he is the lone returning starter, the bulk of his starts last year came at right tackle. Still, Glaze has experience at left tackle from his high school days and according to the man himself, feels more comfortable playing on the left side of the line.
With the likelihood of four newcomers from programs outside the FBS starting along the o-line this season, it isn't a stretch to expect this group to need time not only to gel as a unit, but adjust to play under the bright lights of the Big Ten. How this group fares versus Towson will likely be the first glimpse of what we can expect in 2023.
What will the defensive line rotation look like?
Perhaps almost equally as big of a question as to who will start along the offensive line is what will the defensive line rotation look like?
The d-line will have an entirely new group of starters this year after losing last year's starters to graduation and the transfer portal.
This year's group is expected to be led by Tennessee transfer Jordan Phillips, who has come in and not only solidified himself as a starter at nose tackle, but looks the part of a budding star with pro potential.
The other two defensive tackle spots are expected to be held down by junior Tommy Akingbesote and sophomore Taizse Johnson.
The Terps are looking for big things this year from Akingbesote, who was a major part of Maryland's d-line rotation last season, appearing in 12 games with two starts.
Big things are also expected of Johnson as he enters his junior year. While he is yet to start a game during Maryland his career, he has appeared in 19 games over the course of the past two seasons and was an Under Armour All-American coming out of high school.
At defensive end, Quashon Fuller, a former Rivals250 prospect in high school that began his college career at Florida State, is likely to be the starter. While he is yet to start a game at Maryland, he showed flashes last season, appearing in 10 games with a couple of tackles for loss and a sack.
Finally, newcomer Donnell Brown is expected to start at the JACK position as the Terps' primary edge rusher. The former FCS All-American at Saint Francis (Pa.) has split starting reps on the edge along with Fuller. Brown racked up 48 tackles (31 solo), 14.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last season en route to becoming the NEC Defensive Player of the Year. While the transition to life in the Big Ten hasn't been an easy one, he is still expected to be the Terps' best option on the edge.
The real questions begin when you look at the rotation behind the starters. Newcomer Tre Colbert, who transferred from Division II Angelo State, appears to have a hold on the backup nose spot and is likely to be a part of the Terps' regular d-line rotation.
Redshirt junior Isaac Bunyun has appeared in 20 games over the past two seasons along the defensive line, while classmate Riyad Wilmot appeared in nine games last season.
Redshirt freshman Daniel Owens is likely to wind up as part of the rotation at defensive end, while Fuller could also see snaps at the JACK position.
Also look for sophomore linebacker Kellen Wyatt to possibly factor into the rotation at the JACK spot. After coming on strong late last season and starting the final four games at the SAM linebacker spot, the Archbishop Spalding product is now up to 262 pounds and coming off of a strong fall camp.
Based on reports throughout fall camp, it sounds like the Terps should have a fairly strong defensive front this season. The key will be how many snaps the starters are able to play and who really emerges behind them to become key parts of the defensive line rotation.
Will new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis be able to get the ball into the hands of all of Maryland's playmakers?
The Terps might have lost receivers Rakim Jarrett and Dontay Demus Jr. to the NFL, but head coach Mike Locksley was able to go out and reload the wide receiver room with West Virginia transfer Kaden Prather and FIU transfer Tyrese Chambers. Last season, the local duo combined to catch over 100 balls, for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns.
In the case of Prather, he has the look of a future pro, while Chambers set a school record for receiving yards and touchdowns in 2021, with over 1,000 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.
Those two alone would make for a formidable receiving corps, but the Terps also return sixth-year senior Jeshaun Jones, who led the team in catches last season, as well as tight end Corey Dyches, who had a breakout sophomore season with 39 catches for 494 yards and three touchdowns.
But that's not all, the Terps also return junior wideout Tai Felton, who had 23 catches for 309 yards and a pair of scores a season ago, with his most productive outing coming in the Terps' bowl win. They also bring back sophomore speedster Octavian Smith Jr., who at times looked like a star last season and should be in line to push the newcomers for more snaps and targets this season.
All of this talent in the wide receiver room begs the question: How will offensive coordinator Josh Gattis get them all enough targets to keep them happy?
Well, if anyone is capable of keeping such a talented and deep wide receiving corps happy, it is likely Gattis.
In 2019, Gattis led a Michigan offense that averaged more than 400 yards per game with five pass-catchers that finished with at least 25 receptions a piece.
This year, Maryland returns five pass catchers that recorded more than 25 receptions last season when you include starting running back Roman Hemby. And Felton was just two shy last season with 23 catches.
If the Terps can keep everyone on offense healthy, this group has a chance to spread the ball around and put up some impressive numbers.
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