The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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132 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Head coach Michael Locksley wasn't in serious danger of losing his job following a 4-8 campaign with only one Big Ten win in 2024, but it was a big disappointment after securing eight-plus victories in three straight seasons from 2021-23. Life after quarterback Taulia Tagovaila — the Big Ten's all-time leader with 11,256 passing yards — hasn't gone as smoothly as Locksley would've liked. Billy Edwards Jr. had a relatively productive season in 2024, completing 65 percent of his passes for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns with 9 interceptions, adding 150 yards and 5 scores on the ground. However, he's off to Wis- consin, where he was named the starter entering 2025. The Maryland offense re- corded only 23.7 points (tied for 100th na- tionally) and 386.1 yards (67th) per game anyway, and especially struggled to run the football. Following three seasons with Tagovailoa as the starter, the Terps will have a new quarterback for the second straight year. It's a three-man race for the job, with red- shirt freshmen Justyn Martin and Khristian Martin (no relation) and freshman Malik Washington all vying for the nod. Only one of the three — Justyn Martin, a UCLA transfer — has attempted a pass in college, and he's only thrown 35. Khristian Martin did not appear in game action in 2024, while Washington was a four-star re- cruit out of Baltimore Archbishop Spalding slotted No. 105 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking. There's a lot of optimism about what he can do long-term, but uncertainty as to whether or not he's ready to take the reins as a true freshman. Washington had an impressive spring game though, connecting on 12 of his 18 passes for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns. He's expected to play some sort of role — whether that's starting or off the bench — with Justyn Martin being the other top contender for playing time. While Maryland lost two wide receivers to the NFL in Tai Felton and Kaden Prather, senior Octavian Smith Jr. is back after haul- ing in 30 grabs for 315 yards and 2 scores a season ago. The Terrapins also added some help from the transfer portal, including se- nior Jalil Farooq, who registered 89 recep- tions for 1,287 yards and 7 touchdowns in 36 games at Oklahoma. Running back Roman Hemby is gone after rushing for 607 yards and 6 touch- downs last season, but Nolan Ray was ef- fective as a redshirt freshman, averaging 5 yards per carry and totaling 374 yards on the ground. The offensive line struggled last sea- son, allowing an average of 2.2 sacks and 5.7 tackles for loss per game. This year, only two starters return — guard Aliou Bah and tackle Alan Herron, both on the right side. A key portal pickup was 6-foot-5, 305-pound Central Connecticut trans- fer Rahtrel Perry, who's expected to open games at left tackle. Locksley brought in new coordinators on each side of the ball — former Michigan assistant Pep Hamilton on offense and Ted Monachino on defense. The latter coached with U-M defensive coordinator Wink Martindale for the Baltimore Ravens. Monachino has a strong track record de- veloping pass rushers, and his acumen will be put to the test this season. The Terrapins notched only 1.2 sacks per game last season (tied for 127th in the country) and lost their entire starting front seven. In fact, only one starter on defense is back — senior defensive back Jalen Hus- key — and even he switched positions from corner to safety. Maryland will be without last season's top tackler in linebacker Ru- ben Hyppolite II (a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears), leading sack producer in linebacker Caleb Wheatland (transferred to Auburn), and the player with the most tackles for loss in Kellen Wyatt (trans- ferred to Indiana). Senior linebacker Dan- iel Wingate, who ranked third on the team with 50 stops last year, needs to step up into a starting role. ❑ 2025 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2024 Result Aug. 30 FLORIDA ATLANTIC — Sept. 6 NORTHERN ILLINOIS — Sept. 13 TOWSON — Sept. 20 at Wisconsin — Oct. 4 WASHINGTON — Oct. 11 NEBRASKA — Oct. 18 at UCLA — Nov. 1 INDIANA L, 42-28 Nov. 8 at Rutgers L, 31-17 Nov. 15 at Illinois — Nov. 22 MICHIGAN — Nov. 29 vs. Michigan State* L, 27-24 * At Ford Field in Detroit REASONS FOR OPTIMISM • Coordinator reset • Skill position players • Avoiding Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State Maryland always has good skill position tal- ent, and that'll give it a chance to rebound after a tough year offensively. REASONS FOR CONCERN • Losing six NFL Draft picks • Top defenders transferring out • Inexperience at quarterback Maryland has to replace 18 of its 22 offen- sive and defensive starters. GAME 11 • MARYLAND TERRAPINS • NOV. 22 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 11-1 First Meeting: U-M 20, Maryland 0 (Sept. 28, 1985, in Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: U-M 31, Maryland 24 (Nov. 18, 2023, in College Park, Md.) Head Coach: Michael Locksley, 33-41 at Maryland (seventh year as full-time HC) and 35-67 overall 2024 In Review: 4-8 overall, 1-8 Big Ten Final 2024 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 5 (3 offense, 1 de- fense, 1 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2023 (Music City Bowl vs. Auburn, W 31-13) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: None Rushing: Nolan Ray (374 yards, 2 TD) Receiving: Octavian Smith Jr. (315 yards, 2 TD) Tackles: Daniel Wingate (50) Sacks: Michael Harris, Trey Reddick (1) Interceptions: Jalen Huskey (3) Bounce-Back Season Needed For Michael Locksley, Maryland In addition to amassing 374 yards and 2 touch- downs as a rusher, Nolan Ray hauled in 11 pass- es for 76 yards as a receiver. PHOTO COURTESY MARYLAND ATHLETICS