MM 1.30: Defensive linemen Armon and Jayvon Parker commit to Maryland football

This is the Maryland Minute, a short story followed by a roundup of Terps-related news.

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

With Maryland football’s 2026 season opener just 218 days away, it seemed from the outside that head coach Michael Locksley would do well to bring in another body in the defensive trenches.

Instead, he got two.

Twin brothers Armon and Jayvon Parker, formerly of the University of Washington, committed to Maryland Tuesday. Each standing at 6-foot-3 and averaging 325 pounds between them, the defensive linemen could be key contributors in the 2026 season.

Last season, Armon played eight games before being

ruled out for the year with an injury. Before that, he had eight tackles (one tackle for loss) and a sack. It was his first year seeing the field with the Huskies.

Jayvon, on the other hand, has displayed more promise — although not in the 2025 season. He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in September 2024, an injury that held him for all of the 2024 season and all but one game in the 2025 season.

Before that injury, though, Jayvon accrued 10 tackles (1.5 tackles for loss) and half a sack in four games. He also played in 21 games over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, through which he recorded nine tackles and a sack.

The twins ultimately chose Maryland over schools such as Auburn, Illinois and Wisconsin. They have one year of eligibility remaining, having each already taken a redshirt season.

The Parkers are valuable reinforcements for Maryland, which has put effort into beefing up its defensive interior. The Terps finished the 2025 season allowing 175 rushing yards per game, the 99th-best mark in Division I.

Maryland’s full schedule for the 2026 season just dropped, and looking at its conference foes, only Penn State and USC averaged over 4.5 yards per carry. A staunch front four could help propel Maryland to greater success this season.