Wide Receiver University: Maryland Receivers Have Taken Over

On a balmy summer morning, Rakim Jarrett woke up for his early morning lift session, and while looking around the brand new Jones Hill House weight room, he couldn’t believe the talent around him.

To his left was Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland’s leading receiver from a year ago, and to his right was Jeshaun Jones, a player who once caught, rushed, and threw for a touchdown in a win against No. 23 Texas in 2018. 

Jarrett, a former prized recruit from Washington D.C. who broke out last season against Penn State with five catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns, had a quiet feeling of confidence wash over him, knowing that his group was on the precipice of something big. 

“This group is special,” Jarrett said. “I’d put us up against any group in the country because I think we’re that good. From the short game to the deep ball, we can do it all.”

Rakim Jarrett

In recent years, the receiver position has been one of Maryland football’s greatest strengths as players like Derrius Heyward-Bey, Torrey Smith, Stefon Diggs, and DJ Moore have all gone on to star in the NFL. 

Despite playing in the shadows of all these past greats, the current crop of Terp receivers has something that those players didn’t, and that’s each other. 

To have other explosive players around you is both a blessing and a curse because while their presence can force a defense to choose which receiver to shadow, you also lose out on a large number of targets. 

Jeshaun Jones has been in the program for three years now and has seen the group blossom into what it is today. Jones knows he could go somewhere else and comfortably be the top receiver, but target share is not what drives his style of play. 

Jones knows that he’s a part of a collective and is just as happy to see his teammates get the ball and make plays as he would be if it were him. 

“You can’t cover all of us,” Jones said. “One of us is going to be open, and that person’s going to get the ball. It doesn’t matter if it’s me, Dontay, Rak, Darryl, [Brian] Cobbs, we have a deep group, and I love seeing them succeed.”

Jeshaun Jones

Head Coach Michael Locksley is no stranger to large receiver rooms, as his time at Alabama coincided with one of the most prolific passing attacks in college football history. 

Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, Jaylen Waddle, and Devonta Smith all became first-round draft picks, with Smith even winning the Heisman trophy in 2020.

Locksley hates comparisons, but even he can’t deny that his current group of pass catchers is uberly talented like previous ones that he’s coached. 

“Everyone knows about the guys I’ve coached in the past,” Locksley said. “I’m not going to compare the two groups, but what I will say is that those guys in our locker room are as good as any unit in the country. We have playmakers all over the field, and my job is to figure out a way to get them all the ball.”

They’ve been able to do just that as Locksley, alongside new offensive coordinator Dan Enos, has the offense clicking on all cylinders.

Of course, no receiver group can be elite without a high-level signal caller getting them the ball. 

If you ask the Maryland receivers, they’ll credit their success to quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and his ability to command the offense. With the ability to make any throw imaginable, Tagovailoa allows his receivers to run wild over the field and make the splashy plays that the fans love.

Dontay Demus Jr.

Demus Jr. has been the biggest beneficiary of Tagovailoa’s calming presence as the senior from Washington D.C. has led the Terps in receiving yards and touchdowns the last two seasons. 

With Tagovailoa at the helm, Demus Jr. has been filling up the stat sheet every week.

He currently is sitting at 11th in school history in receiving yards and has an opportunity to skyrocket up the leaderboard even more by the season’s end. His seven career 100-yard receiving games are second all-time, trailing only Jermaine Lewis. 

Demus Jr. has done all this despite only playing eight games with Tagovailoa as his quarterback dating back to last season. 

Despite Demus Jr. seemingly being Tagovailoa’s top target, that doesn’t mean all of the targets go to him. 

Locksley, Enos, and Tagovailoa designed the offense to get the ball into all of the playmaker’s hands as early and as often as possible. 

The scheme has been on full display this season as against Howard on Sept. 11, 10 different Terps caught a pass with Demus Jr. and Jarrett both getting over 100 yards, and just three weeks later against Kent State, 12 different players caught a pass.

Tagovailoa’s sky-high completion percentage combined with the natural skill of the Maryland wide receivers has been a potent combination during the first month of the year.  

For Tagovailoa, it’s all about just putting his teammates in the best position possible to succeed.

“I have all the faith in the world in my teammates,” Tagovailoa said. “Our receivers are all really good, and it’s a really deep room. It makes my job easier to have all of them out there, and hopefully, we just keep working hard and executing.”

Brian Cobbs

With the room being so deep, one player Locksley credits for the group’s success is senior Brian Cobbs. 

The Alexandria, Virginia, native has been someone that Locksley always points to as a player who does all the right things when it comes to being a collegiate athlete. Cobbs is smart, with steady hands, and, most importantly, a leader. 

“Brian is the most underrated receiver we have and maybe even the most underrated player,” Locksley said. “As a football coach, your life is made easier when you have players like Brian Cobbs. He’s always doing the right things, whether it be his academics, his on-the-field stuff, or his community service work. He’s a leader in this program.”

Cobbs may not be the household name that other players on the team might be, but if it weren’t for him, some of those notable players might not be who they are today. 

For Rakim Jarrett, that’s definitely the case. 

“Brian is someone who’s helped me from the day I got here,” Jarrett said. “He’s always willing to help, always there for you, and he’s just a good teammate. So, yeah, I love Brian.”

Darryl Jones

The execution from the receiving room has been a critical reason why Maryland is 4-0 for the first time since 2016, and there’s currently no sign that the group will slow down. 

The sky is the limit for this group. Whether it’s Demus Jr. moving up the record book or Jarrett flying around the field with his blazing speed. Or Jones’ swiss army knife ability to do anything. Or Darryl Jones’ deep-threat ability, or Brian Cobbs’ steady hands.

“It’s all about what we want to do,” Demus Jr. said. “I don’t think anybody out there can stop us; only we can stop ourselves. As long as we go out there and play our game together, we’re going to be great. I truly believe that.”