Though Maryland football is bowl eligible for a third straight season, a feat the program has not accomplished since 2006-2008, former Terps receiver Torrey Smith believes the team is still not meeting its potential.
After starting the season 5-0, all dominant wins, Maryland looked to be turning a page. With a fourth-year starter at quarterback and a batch of incoming transfers, including West Virginia wide receiver Kaden Prather and Cincinnati cornerback Ja’Quan Sheppard, the Terps were expecting big things.
That was until the team lost four straight games, two of which came against unranked programs Illinois and Northwestern. The other two losses during that stretch came against Ohio State and Penn State, but fans expected more than a 7-5 season, especially since Maryland had beaten the Illini and Wildcats in recent years.
“I do think those two losses hurt,” Smith said on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 28. “I think they should’ve been a nine-win team at minimum.”
Maryland did win two of their final three games, against unranked Nebraska and Rutgers. The last time the Terps defeated a ranked opponent was in 2019 against No. 21 Syracuse. However, that season tuned out to be a dud, with the team winning three total games on the season and losing 73-14 to Ohio State and 59-0 to Penn State.
Led by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who set the all-time passing yards record for the Big Ten on Nov. 25, Maryland has come close to defeating top competition in the Big Ten on multiple occasions but has fallen short. Most recently, the Terps lost to Michigan, 31-24.
“The guys aren’t there in the trenches,” Smith said. “The big guys are not there yet.”
Smith explained that more money is needed to support the program now given the demands of the NIL landscape. NIL has lessened the importance of what Smith termed head coach Michael Locksley’s “biggest strength” — building relationships in recruiting.
Smith believes fans can do more to support the program’s recruiting efforts by becoming more engaged. The former Maryland receiver went on to explain that when the big games come around, local recruits see themselves in a Maryland uniform. However, when they watch games with weaker turnouts, the kids don’t want to play there.
Maryland has averaged 36,210 fans per home game the past five years, per d1ticker.com.
“For as many people that we have that are complaining about the state of Maryland football, I think there’s a lot more that fans can do, simply by showing up,” Smith said. “… We need people in the stands because Maryland hasn’t been the Maryland we all know and love for some years.”
Taking it one step further, Smith has seen the impact firsthand with some of the young players he interacts with on a daily basis.
“I coach some of the kids in the state,” Smith said. “They don’t see Maryland as a place where they want to play because of the game day atmosphere.”
Smith is still optimistic about where Maryland is headed under Locksley, whom Smith views as the right coach to take the Terps to the next level. He believes this is an opportune moment for the team and fans to come together to further the legacy of Maryland football.
“I think Locksley is on the right path,” Smith said. “I do think everything is looking up and he’s doing a great job building the program.”
For more from Smith, listen to the full interview here:
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