Maryland Football: Can Terps finally get back to a bowl game?

Defense must improve

To be blunt, Maryland football was awful on defense in 2020. Not only did the Terps allow more than 200 yards per game on the ground and through the air, but Maryland only forced 0.8 turnovers per game.

The offense didn’t do the team any favors by averaging 2.2 turnovers per game but forcing more takeaways will be paramount this season for the defense.

The return of defensive tackle Mosiah Nasili-Kite is a bright spot. The 300-pounder notched 17 tackles, five tackles for loss, and four sacks last season. Having a disruptive pass rusher is always helpful but the Terps will need linebackers such as Durrell Nchami, Ahmad McCullough, and Ruban Hyppolite II, who will be playing on the inside, also need to ramp up their production.

Nick Cross and Jordan Mosley return for a secondary that picked off just two passes last season. Maryland also has new coordinators as Brian Stewart, a former Maryland assistant, came from Baylor to coordinate the defense along with Co-DC Brian Williams.

The Terps also landed some talented recruits on defense such as five-star linebacker Terrence Lewis (No. 21 overall) and four-star Branden Jennings (105th overall), as well as EDGE Demeioun Robinson, who is 68th overall.

Those prospects could help the front seven and Jennings, in particular, was a big win late in the cycle as the Terps flipped him from Michigan, adding to a class that ranked 18th overall in 2021.