As Maryland football prepares for its season-opening game against Texas Sept. 1, the program is grappling with far more than on-field matters.
Head coach DJ Durkin was placed on administrative leave Aug. 11 after ESPN published two reports the previous day regarding the death of sophomore offensive lineman Jordan McNair and what was characterized as a “toxic coaching culture” within the program. ESPN reported McNair “showed signs of extreme exhaustion” during his final workout May 29. McNair suffered heatstroke during the workout and had a body temperature of 106 degrees at a hospital following the workout, according to the report.
ESPN reported Aug. 11 that Maryland strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, head football athletic trainer Wes Robinson and director of athletic training Steve Nordwall were placed on administrative leave.
“The safety and well-being of our student-athletes is our highest priority,” Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said in a letter to the university community Aug. 11. “These alleged behaviors are not consistent with the values I expect all of our staff to adhere to and we must do better. You will be hearing from me as our work continues to rebuild the culture of respect in our football program.”
In the letter, Evans also announced that offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who was hired in January, will serve as interim head coach.
Canada is tasked with helping Maryland rebound from a 2017 season in which the team finished 4-8 (2-7 in the Big Ten, tied for sixth in the East Division) and missed a bowl game for the fourth time in seven years. Canada will have to revamp the Terps’ offense, which scored a combined 114 points during the first two games of the 2017 season before averaging 17.2 points per game during the final 10.
Canada has a track record of coaching high-scoring offenses, leading Pittsburgh to a school-record 40.9 points per game in 2016. His offense at North Carolina State ranked third in points per game in the ACC in 2015.
Canada’s offensive style often relies on running backs, according to Jeff Ermann of Inside Maryland Sports, a popular site for Terps fans.
“He’s had such a good track record of having a strong running game,” Ermann said. “And [at] Maryland, running back might be their strongest position on either side of the ball.”
Senior Ty Johnson and junior Lorenzo Harrison III — who combined for 1,497 rushing yards in 2017 — will lead the group. Redshirt freshman Anthony McFarland, junior Jake Funk and sophomores Javon Leake and Tayon Fleet-Davis will also see the field.
An effective running game will ease the pressure on a receiving corps that lost wide receiver DJ Moore to the NFL. Moore posted 1,033 receiving yards last year, which was more than half of the team’s total receiving yardage. Senior Taivon Jacobs is the only receiver on the roster who caught a touchdown pass in 2017.
Behind Jacobs is a mix of upperclassmen, including senior Jahrvis Davenport and junior DJ Turner, and some untested underclassmen.
The team features a consensus top-30 recruiting class for the second consecutive year. Adam Friedman, mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, sees several of these young players playing right away, especially at positions like defensive line and wide receiver.
“Now it’s all about playing within the system … to highlight their abilities,” Friedman said. “I would expect the team to get better and better as the year goes on, barring injuries.”
Staying healthy, especially at quarterback, was a struggle in 2017. Redshirt sophomore Tyrrell Pigrome and redshirt freshman Kasim Hill suffered season-ending ACL tears last September. But Pigrome and Hill are healthy and competing for the starting job during fall camp, just as they did last season.
The two played a combined nine quarters in 2017, but their play during that time was promising and each brings his own strengths to the position. Hill has a big arm and throws with accuracy; he completed more than 80 percent of his passes last year. Pigrome’s mobility is his best asset, and he showed his potential to break big runs with a 25-yard touchdown run to open Maryland’s scoring against Texas last year.
Former Maryland quarterback Scott McBrien, a sideline analyst for the Terrapins Sports Radio Network from 2013-2016, said Pigrome and Hill are versatile enough that the entire playbook is open to the offense.
“The coolest part about this whole situation is the fact that they are so different,” McBrien said. “You can kind of throw the whole kitchen sink at these defenses, and both of these kids do it all well.”
One spot that’s already solidified is the offensive line, with all five starters returning this season. Left tackle Derwin Gray and right tackle Damian Prince, both seniors, considered entering the NFL Draft before deciding to return.
“Going by recruiting rankings, this is the most talented offensive line at Maryland I think that I’ve seen in the past 15 years,” Ermann said.
Defensively, the Terps will look to improve a unit that ranked in the bottom third of nearly every meaningful statistical category in the Big Ten last year and was particularly ineffective at reaching opposing quarterbacks, ranking second to last in the Big Ten with 16 sacks.
Senior defensive end Jesse Aniebonam suffered a season-ending ankle injury last year, but he is expected to be the leader of the defensive line this year. He will be paired with junior Byron Cowart, a consensus top-10 recruit in the nation in 2015, along the defensive line. If Cowart recaptures the confidence that made him a top recruit, he could give the Terps’ pass rush a much-needed boost, Ermann said.
“Even if he doesn’t live up to that five-star, No. 1 player in the country standard … he can produce some pressure on the other side,” Ermann said.
The secondary, which allowed 23 passing touchdowns last fall, will be anchored by senior safety Darnell Savage and junior cornerback Marcus Lewis, who played at Florida State from 2015-2016 before transferring to Maryland ahead of the 2017 season.
Despite a disappointing season in 2017, the Terps’ season-opening, 51-41 victory against then-No. 23 Texas — the program’s first road win against a ranked opponent in nearly a decade — was a sign of what the team can achieve when healthy. Maryland will have a chance to repeat the upset when the season opens against the Longhorns at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., Sept. 1. The Terps will play at Bowling Green Sept. 8 and host Temple Sept. 15, before kicking off conference play at home against Minnesota Sept. 22.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 246: August 2018