COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Last season was the first time in five years that Taulia Tagovailoa wasn't the quarterback at Maryland. It didn't go well.
Now, a long-term replacement may have arrived.
It's not yet clear if freshman Malik Washington will start the opener for the Terrapins, but he very much represents the future for this program. A local kid from nearby Glen Burnie, Washington is the type of recruit who can help a program like Maryland earn credibility — and he's joining a coach who has shown
he can produce big passing numbers if the right player is doing the throwing.
“Typically the way you make strides is by failing, and so we've got to put guys like Malik in positions in practice,” coach Michael Locksley said. “It's almost like you read and hear about Tiger Woods, how he throws the ball into the sand trap, and deliberately practicing one of the toughest shots there is. We've got to create that environment in practice.”
Locksley said the public wouldn't know Maryland's starting quarterback until game time against Florida Atlantic in the opener Aug. 30. But the Terrapins made Washington available to reporters during spring practice, which said a lot about what Locksley thinks of him. He's a top-five quarterback recruit this year according to 247Sports, which ranks Maryland's overall class 25th nationally.
By the time Tagovailoa departed, he'd led the Terps to three straight bowl appearances and become the Big Ten's career leader in yards passing. But last season, Maryland went 4-8.
Locksley said he lost the locker room last season — and that he needs to do a better job of managing this new era of college football in which different players can make different amounts of money.
“Anything and everything that took place a year ago, we've ripped off the rearview mirror, and it's moving forward only," he said.
Locksley enters the season with two new coordinators — Pep Hamilton on offense and Ted Monachino on defense. Hamilton has been an offensive coordinator for multiple NFL teams and was also an offensive assistant at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh.
“Coach Locks, his offense has traditionally had quarterbacks that have been very productive — statistically, just running the system, it's a quarterback-friendly system," Hamilton said. "We're going to make a concerted effort to make sure that we complement the things that Coach Locks has always done with his passing game, with a run game that looks similar to the passing game.”
Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland's top quarterback a season ago, transferred to Wisconsin That leaves Washington competing with Justyn Martin and Khristian Martin for the starting job. The Terrapins also lost running back Roman Hemby to a conference rival when he left for Indiana.
Maryland athletic director Damon Evans left for SMU, and Jim Smith was hired to replace him. It's not clear what effect that could have on Locksley's job security. The program improved from where it was when Locksley took over, but last year was a step back, and he's now heading into his seventh season on the job.
For a second straight season, Maryland's Big Ten schedule doesn't include Ohio State, and this year the Terps avoid Penn State and Oregon as well. Maryland does face Indiana, Illinois and Michigan — the other three conference foes ranked in the preseason Top 25 — but two of those games are at home.
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