After winning three consecutive bowl games for the first time in program history, Maryland football took a sizable step back in 2024. The Terps finished 4-8, their worst record since 2019.
Head coach Michael Locksley admitted that he lost the locker room regarding issues related to NIL compensation, sowing division within the team. This prompted Locksley to shift his priorities toward unifying the team.
Big Ten Network football analyst and former Vanderbilt, LSU and Indiana head coach Gerry DiNardo agrees that Maryland needs to refocus.
“They got distracted in 2023 when everyone started saying they’re going to challenge the best teams. That’s the worst thing you want your team to hear, and now they’re trying to dig out of that hole,” DiNardo said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 6. “I don’t think this is an X’s and O’s year. I don’t think this is a scheme year. I don’t think this is anything but getting this team to play as hard as they’ve ever played to win the three nonconference games they open up with … and not worry about beating the best teams in the conference.”
Maryland started the 2023 season 5-0, seemingly on the cusp of being ranked. DiNardo says that narratives about the Terps being ready to compete with the Big Ten’s elite then began to swirl, which he thought was an overzealous goal.
The team went on to lose four consecutive games, finishing the year 8-5. Locksley’s goal should be to restore the team to how it was playing during that five-game win streak, according to DiNardo.
“I’m not saying [Locksley] has to upset some big teams, he just has to get back to where it was before this crazy narrative that they were ready to challenge for the Big Ten championship,” DiNardo said. “To me, that’s the root of what happened. That became the narrative instead of the next game becoming the narrative … instead of beating a conference team that you have better players than.”
This goal seems feasible, as Maryland’s schedule is seemingly softer than in recent seasons. The Terps avoid preseason top-10 teams Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon this year.
Locksley will have to decide which quarterback to start before the season begins. Redshirt junior and UCLA transfer Justyn Martin, redshirt freshman Khristian Martin and true freshman Malik Washington are the top three candidates.
Washington is an especially intriguing prospect. The Archbishop Spalding product was a four-star recruit, ranked the No. 2 player in Maryland and No. 54 nationally, according to the 247Sports composite rakings. However, Washington has been limited in camp with a lower-body injury.
Though the threat of losing players to the transfer portal is concerning, DiNardo says this fear shouldn’t affect Locksley’s decision on which quarterback to start.
“I think it’s pretty simple, whoever wins the job in camp. We can’t start coaching worrying about the portal and worrying about players leaving,” DiNardo said. “The best thing for Malik or whoever starts at quarterback at Maryland is the run game on offense and being better on defense.”
Starting a true freshman at quarterback in the Big Ten is a hefty burden to place on a young player. DiNardo believes that Washington will be able to handle it if he has the proper supporting cast.
“I think any quarterback can do it. If they don’t have a run game, no, he can’t do it. If they can’t stop anyone on defense, no [he] can’t do it,” DiNardo said. “But if they support him with the other 21 players, yeah, I think he can do it.”
For more from DiNardo, listen to the full interview here:
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