Maryland Football: Will Terps climb out of cellar in year two of Mike Locksley?
Newcomers, Dontay Demus Jr. will lead a new-look offense
All eyes will be on a pair of newcomers on the Maryland offense with one likely to play an immediate role and the other waiting to hear back from the NCAA on an instant eligibility waiver.
Those players are five-star wide receiver recruit and Washington D.C. native Rakim Jarrett and Alabama quarterback transfer Taulia Tagovailoa. Jarrett was the nation’s second-ranked receiver for 2020 and chose to stay close to home, where he will likely earn immediate targets.
Tagovailoa, the younger brother of former Alabama star and current Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, decided to follow his former offensive coordinator to College Park after being stuck behind Mac Jones in Tuscaloosa.
If Tagovailoa is deemed eligible for an immediate waiver, he will likely start for the Terps. If not, Mike Locksley will have plenty of options to choose from, including Josh Jackson, who threw for 1,274 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games last season and Lance LeGendre who played in three games in which he ran for 104 yards on just 13 attempts as a true freshman.
At running back, Maryland will be counting on Tayon Fleet-Davis to carry the bulk of the load with Javon Leake and Anthony McFarland Jr. Fleet-Davis ran for 265 yards on 63 carries with 181 receiving yards on 15 receptions while scoring four total touchdowns. Four-star recruit and incoming freshman Peny Boone will also likely get some carries.
Dontay Demus Jr. will guide the receiver position outside of the freshman Jarrett. The D.C. native hauled in a team-high 41 passes a year ago with 625 yards and six touchdowns. Tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo finished second on the team in catches with 19 going for 202 yards and two scores. With Jarrett in the fold, there should be less pressure on Demus Jr., allowing for even more production.
Maryland has the talent and offensive mastermind in Locksley to improve a unit that finished 94th in the nation in total offense in 2019 despite scoring 142 points in their first two games of the season.