Category: Maryland Terrapins

Maryland Terrapins looks poised for down year in early Big Ten ranking

The Maryland Terrapins suffered a lot of roster defections this offseason. They look set up for a down year in 2024.

It’s never too early for a “way too early” Big Ten power ranking! Things will change. Players will hurt the portal, players will transfer in, and injuries will happen but for the most part, we have a pretty good understanding of rosters after National Signing Day and so much transfer portal movement.

In each part of this series, we will unveil where each of the 18 teams in the new look conference begins. We started at No. 1 with the revamped Ohio State Buckeyes. Then, the Oregon Ducks come in at the second spot. Coming in at No. 3 were the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines, who are in a bit of a transition period.

At No. 4, we unveiled the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are returning a lot of talent from their 2023 roster. Then we made way for the old reliable, the Iowa Hawkeyes. At No. 6, another new addition to the conference, the USC Trojans. Next up at No. 7, the Wisconsin Badgers came in, followed by the Washington Huskies at No. 8 in the ranking.

Coming in at No. 9, another pretty consistent program with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. They come into the 2024 season as a real wildcard. Speaking of wildcards, there may not be a bigger one than the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They come in at No. 10 on the ranking.

Following Nebraska is the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at No. 11, coming off a bit of a breakout season in 2023 under head coach Greg Schiano. A team in transition, but an exciting one, is the Indiana Hoosiers. At No. 13 is the Michigan State Spartans, who are another team in transition. Then you have the Purdue Boilermakers at No. 14 who enter the second year under former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.

Another new entrant into the new look Big Ten conference, the UCLA Bruins enter with a lot of uncertainty at No. 15. Coming in at No. 16, the Maryland Terrapins have a more familiar face in Mike Locksley heading into year seven. 

After a slow start to his tenure, Locksley has gotten Maryland back to consistency the last three years, ending each campaign with a bowl game appearance. That building has been admirable but based on roster talent, there could be a step back in 2024. A big reason is the offense, which had a lot of turnover from last season. The offensive line has to replace four starters, while also breaking in former NC State quarterback as their new signal caller. There is some talent but there are just a lot of moving parts for one offseason. 

On defense, there just aren’t a ton of attractive playmakers, especially with linebacker Jaishawn Barham transferring. They did receive a very underrated transfer with former Bowling Green cornerback Jalen Huskey but there just isn’t a ton of upside to get excited about. This feels like a down year on the horizon. 

Full Big Ten Rankings

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes
  2. Oregon Ducks
  3. Michigan Wolverines
  4. Penn State Nittany Lions
  5. Iowa Hawkeyes 
  6. USC Trojans
  7. Wisconsin Badgers
  8. Washington Huskies
  9. Minnesota Golden Gophers
  10. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  11. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
  12. Indiana Hoosiers
  13. Michigan State Spartans
  14. Purdue Boilermakers
  15. UCLA Bruins
  16. Maryland Terrapins
  17. TBD
  18. TBD

Hall of Fame college basketball coach Lefty Driesell passes away at age 92

Hall of Fame basketball coach Lefty Driesell, who won 786 games in 41 seasons, died at his home on Saturday at age 92.

Hall of Fame college basketball coach Charles ‘Lefty’ Driesell passed away on Saturday morning at age 92, according to an announcement from the University of Maryland.

Driesell was a Division 1 basketball coach for 41 seasons, winning 786 games including 100 or more at four different schools – Davidson, Maryland, James Madison, and Georgia State.

At the time of Driesell’s retirement in 2003 only three coaches had more victories – Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp, and Dean Smith.

Driesell’s success extended to the NCAA Tournament as well, where he led all four schools to the Big Dance and took both Maryland and Davidson to the Elite 8 two separate times.

Coach Driesell was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 at age 86, a long overdue honor after getting named to the College Basketball Hall of Fame 11 years prior in 2007.

“Lefty should have been in years ago,” Krzyzewski said at the time. “His contributions to the game go way beyond wins and losses, and he won a lot. It’s an honor he’s deserved for a long time.”

Driesell is credited with inventing Midnight Madness when he had his players do a midnight run on the first legal day of NCAA practice. Two years later he opened the Field House at midnight and thousands of fans came to watch the open practice.

He also had a role in forming the modern NCAA Tournament when his 1974 Maryland team – which was upset by NC State in the ACC championship in one of the greatest college basketball games of all time – didn’t get to make the NCAA Tournament, the rule was changed to allow at-large bids, known at the time as “The Maryland Rule.”

Driesell is survived by his grandson, Ty Anderson, who is an assistant coach at Wofford and who told the Washington Post Driesell died at his home in Virginia Beach.

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa enters transfer portal and seeks waiver for one last season

The Big Ten’s all-time leading passer and potential graduate transfer would need a waiver granted for an additional season of eligibility.

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, according to a Friday report from 247Sports’ Chris Hummer.

Tagovailoa, the brother of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, ended his Maryland career as the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer with 11,256 career yards. He spent the past four years with Maryland after he spent his first year of college with his brother at Alabama in 2019.

The three-year starter threw for at least 3,000 yards in each of the past three years, including a career-high 3,860 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2021.

Tagovailoa is technically out of eligibility at the moment, but Hummer reported that he is seeking a waiver for an additional year. According to the report, the former Maryland quarterback will argue he burned a redshirt year in 2019 with the Crimson Tide when he played five games but twice only came on the field for two snaps.

Hummer reported that one school in the market for a new quarterback did not like Tagovailoa’s odds of getting an additional year.

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa could enter the portal but he is out of eligibility

This would open Pandora’s box.

According to a report from Maryland’s 247Sports site, head coach Mike Lockley discussed the possibility of Taulia Tagovailoa entering the transfer portal. It isn’t a shocking development given the state of college football at the present time, he is just out of eligibility.

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman completed his sixth year of play in 2023 using this past season as his COVID year. All players received an extra year of eligibility regardless if they opted out of the 2020 season. Former Oregon Duck and Texas Tech Red Raider quarterback Tyler Shough is set to play his sixth season in 2024.

The difference is that Tagovailoa used his COVID year in 2023. There isn’t an obvious path to earning an extra year, or is there?

As Chris Vannini of The Athletic says, this would open a can of worms at the collegiate level.

There are several valid points on both sides of this sort of argument but it feels like the high school recruits and athletes that are in their first four seasons that would suffer. There are only so many scholarships to go around, so if we change the rules there seems to be someone that has to pay for it all.

Maryland QB Tualia Tagovailoa opts out of Music City Bowl

The younger brother of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ends his collegiate career as the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer.

Maryland’s Tualia Tagovailia, the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer, has opted out of the Music City Bowl, head coach Mike Locksley announced on Tuesday.

The Terrapins are set to play Auburn at 2 p.m. ET on December 30. Locksley indicated several Maryland quarterbacks would get the chance to play against the Tigers, indicating Billy Edwards Jr. and Cam Edge would get the most work.

Tagovailoa started for Maryland each of the past three seasons. The Terrapins hadn’t made a bowl game in four years when he took over in 2021, but the younger brother of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led them to the postseason three straight times. Maryland compiled a 22-16 record in his time at the helm, including back-to-back bowl wins.

The Maryland quarterback worked his way up the conference’s all-time passing leaderboards as well. He threw for 3,000 yards each of his three seasons as a starter, ending with 11,256 career passing yards with the Terrapins to pass Purdue’s Curtis Painter for the conference record.

Tagovailoa’s 76 career passing touchdowns with Maryland leave seventh in the history of the Big Ten.

Maryland already landed a commitment from former N.C. State quarterback MJ Morris during this transfer cycle, so Edwards and Edge have the chance to get ahead of the competition for the 2024 starting job.

Former NC State QB MJ Morris commits to Maryland

The former NC State quarterback started four games for the Wolfpack this past season before he announced he would redshirt.

Former NC State quarterback MJ Morris announced his commitment to play for Notre Dame, as On3 first reported on Wednesday.

“The coaching staff really stood out to me,” Morris said in Hayes Fawcett’s report. “They all showed so much love and support that it made me fall in love with the program…The culture that they have up there is special.”

Morris, a three-star quarterback prospect from the class of 2022, started four games for the Wolfpack last season before he announced he would redshirt the rest of the year. He threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns in his first game against Marshall, leading a 48-41 victory despite three interceptions.

Across Morris’ four starts, the Wolfpack won three of four games including wins over Clemson and Miami. Morris completed 55.8% of his passes for 719 yards, throwing seven touchdowns and five interceptions. His best game in conference play came against the Tigers when he threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts.

Morris will have the task of replacing Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa started for the Terrapins each of the last three seasons, and his 11,256 passing yards are a Big Ten career record. He threw 77 collegiate touchdowns, all but one with Maryland, against 37 interceptions.

Report: Maryland co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin arrested for DUI

Maryland co-offensive coordinator, former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin was arrested in Tampa and refused a breathalyzer during bye week.

Maryland co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin was arrested on DUI charges this weekend in Florida, according to a report from The Diamondback’s Taylor Lyons.

The report cited a Hillsborough County police report, saying Sumlin was arrested early Saturday morning along U.S. Highway 301 in Tampa, Florida after he refused a breathalyzer test. Sumlin pled not guilty and he waived his arraignment, meaning he will not appear in court for the initial plea.

The Terrapins were on a bye this week.

Sumlin joined the Maryland program earlier this year. He previously served as the head coach at Texas A&M from 2012-17 Arizona from 2018-20.

The Diamondback’s report said Sumlin’s attorney declined to comment and that a spokesperson for the team had yet to respond.

We will continue to monitor the story and provide updates as they are made available.

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Maryland HC Mike Locksley set to receive sizeable salary raise

Mike Locksley received a sizeable salary increase on Friday.

The University of Maryland and Mike Locksley have agreed to new contract terms that will give the 53-year-old head coach a sizeable salary raise.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, Locksley will now see his salary increase from $4 million to $6.1 million. The contract is set to run through the 2027 season but an additional year will also be added to the contract if the Terrapins win seven more games this fall.

While Maryland has confirmed that the university and Locksley have agreed to new details on his contract, they did not confirm any raise in salary.

“Coach Locksley has done an amazing job revitalizing our football program,” said Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said in the press release. “We have won bowl games in each of the last two years, something that hadn’t been done at Maryland in nearly 20 years. Coach Locks continues to grow our program, both on and off the field, in developing impressive young men. As we continue to make significant strides with higher expectations, we are excited he will be leading our program into the future as ‘The Best Is Ahead’ for Maryland football.”

Locksley took over the Maryland football program in 2019 after being an assistant coach at Alabama from 2016 through 2018. Since taking over at Maryland, the Terrapins have gone from 3-9 and 2-3 in his first two seasons to 7-6 and 8-5 in their last two including two bowl game victories. It has been a much better tenure for Locksley at Maryland than his first head coaching stint at New Mexico where he went 2-26 over two and half seasons. If the Maryland can achieve a winning record in 2023, it will be their first three-season stretch of .500 or better since 2001 through 2003 under head coach Ralph Friedgen which saw the Terrapins go 31-8 overall.

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Women’s Sweet 16: game predictions, who advances to the Elite Eight?

Only two No. 1 seeds remain in the women’s tournament and this is the first time since 1998 that the Sweet 16 will be without two of its No. 1 seeds.

Only two No. 1 seeds remain in the women’s tournament and this is the first time since 1998 that the Sweet 16 will be without two of its No. 1 seeds. We have a No. 8 seed in Ole Miss and a No. 9 seed in Miami matched up against No. 5 and No. 4 seeds respectively. This tournament is about to heat up and it feels like upsets are on the brink.

Sweet 16 games begin Friday, March 24 with four matchups on Friday and four matchups on Saturday. The frontrunners in the tournament are still the top-seeded teams, but lower-seeded teams are peaking at just the right time and anything can happen in March.

Here’s everything you need ahead of this weekend’s Sweet 16.

2023 NCAA women’s Sweet 16: Latest bracket, schedule, and how to watch

There are few surprises with Miami, Colorado, and Ole Miss in the mix of teams, but stalwarts are also accounted for in South Carolina, Iowa, and UConn.

The Sweet 16 is upon us and games begin Friday, March 24. There are four matchups on Friday and four matchups on Saturday. There are few surprises with Miami, Colorado, and Ole Miss in the mix of teams, but stalwarts are also accounted for in South Carolina, Iowa, and UConn.

Sweet 16 Schedule: (All game times are eastern)

Friday, March 24 — Sweet 16

  • No. 4 Villanova vs. No. 9 Miami | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
  • No. 2 Utah vs. No. 3 LSU | 5 p.m. | ESPN
  • No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 6 Colorado | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
  • No. 5 Louisville vs. No. 8 Ole Miss | 10 p.m. | ESPN

Saturday, March 25 — Sweet 16

  • No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN
  • No.1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 UCLA | 2:00 p.m. | ESPN
  • No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Ohio State | 4 p.m. | ABC
  • No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 4 Tennessee | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN2

Only two No. 1 seeds remain in the tournament and this is the first time since 1998 that the Sweet 16 will be without two of its No. 1 seeds.

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