The Men Up Front

The offensive line has traditionally been the most unheralded unit in football — the guys who do all the little things and the dirty work with almost no recognition or praise.

Taulia Tagovailoa wants to make sure that is not the case for his guys up front.

"That's probably the biggest thing for me," Tagovailoa said of the offensive line at Maryland Football Media Day. "I know everyone wants to talk about the receivers, but I think the O-Line has probably had the best offseason starting from the winter. Those guys just put their heads down and continue to work. I always try to give them love whenever I can." 

The star quarterback's praise is more than warranted. Last season, the offensive line blocked for the 13th ranked pass offense in the nation, averaging 304.6 yards per game. 

This year, all five starters—Jaelyn Duncan, Mason Lunsford, Johari Branch, Delmar Glaze, and Spencer Anderson—return for another season, and expect to perform at an even higher level. Aric Harris and his nine 2021 starts will also play a significant role on the line. 

"Having the whole O-Line back, that's huge," Anderson said. "A lot of times you don't see that continuity. I feel like it could be great for us and help us give (Tagovailoa) the time he needs in the pocket to get those guys on the outside the ball."

Spencer Anderson

It won't just be those six guys making an impact this season. Offensive coordinator Dan Enos expects several younger guys to be in the mix for snaps.

"We feel like not only do we have a group that can play at a very high level; we feel like we have very capable backups and young players that are going to be progressing into the future of the offensive line," Enos said. 

The veterans are equally as eager to welcome the underclassmen into the unit. 

"The relationship in the O-Line room is great," Duncan said. "We all love each other; it's a brotherhood in there. There's a lot of young guys in there so we just bring them in like a family."

Enos pointed to the "unique" ability of head coach Michael Locksley and him to substitute linemen in and out during drives, which they did a little last year and hope to do more this season to keep players fresh and give younger ones some reps. 

At Media Day, Locksley discussed how the team was fortunate to get through last year, mainly only playing seven guys on the line, but this season they have the potential to rotate 10 different linemen. 

In addition to the experience, the offensive line is incredibly versatile. Anderson can play all five positions on the line. Last season, Glaze started games at both tackle positions. This season he is expected to move to guard to start the year. Branch and Amelio Morán can also play multiple positions.

"We have a lot of interchangeable parts which is what I love most," Locksley said.

Johari Branch

Locksley also takes pride in the growth the group has shown over the years.

"The good thing about the group of five returning starters is that these guys have been through the tough times," Locksley said. "The O-Line takes the longest to develop when they come in. They're in year four in our system... We feel good that they will be able to take the experiences over the last few years. I saw them getting better with each year, and I think it's the most improved unit on our team."

The line's role in pass protection gets discussed frequently due to the press coverage surrounding both Tagovailoa and the wideout room. But the coaching staff is eager to utilize the group's experience to establish the run.

"Having the depth that we have (on the offensive line) allows us to just be really, really homed in and really try to make sure that we're very persistent and very deliberate about running the football and having all the other things, the RPOs, the play-actions, all the things that come off of it," Enos said. 

In the last two games of the 2021 season, wins against Rutgers and Virginia Tech, the rushing attack racked up 263 and 206 yards, respectively. 

The Terps hope to build off that ground game this year, and the offensive line will be at the center of that, especially with a very young running back room. 

"I think the veteran offensive line is going to do a really good job to help those guys come along and grow as they kinda feel their way a little bit, especially early," Enos said.

Jaelyn Duncan

As successful as the unit was last year, they took crucial steps forward during the offseason, so much so that even defensive players took note. 

"Those guys are really one band, one sound," defensive back Tarheeb Still said. "They move as a unit; those guys are really together. I think they're really taking on that role of protecting the quarterback and then being able to run the ball whenever they want." 

The group's promising summer instilled the coaches with a strong sense of confidence about the unit's potential and the offense as a whole. 

"The way we feel about our offensive line right now compared to a year ago is night and day," Enos said. 

Delmar Glaze

A critical factor in that confidence is the individual production from guys like Duncan and Anderson. 

Duncan is listed as a top-10 NFL prospect in the Big Ten by Athlon Sports. He was also named to the Second Team Preseason All-Big Ten by Athlon Sports & Lindy's Sports.

He wasn't an instant success, however. Duncan redshirted his first year and, as Locksley said, "got his teeth kicked in" a little as a redshirt freshman. But, he kept working and turned in two consecutive Honorable Mention All-Big Ten seasons, in addition to becoming one of the top NFL prospects in the country. 

"When I first got here, I wouldn't consider myself a good player," Duncan said. "I had a lot of things I needed to work on. Up until now, I've just put in more work that I needed to do every year."

Duncan drew high praise from Enos on Media Day as the veteran coach compared him to 2013 No. 1 Overall Pick and two-time pro bowler Eric Fisher, who Enos coached at Central Michigan.

"The growth of Jaelyn has just been phenomenal,” Enos added. "He can be as good as he wants to be."

Aric Harris

Anderson, who only allowed one sack on 516 pass-blocking snaps last year while playing both tackle spots and center, has a similar progression story. 

Anderson saw game action twice as a true freshman but admits he was a little over his head initially. However, he kept his head down and continued to work, eventually morphing into the highest rated pass blocking tackle in the Big Ten and third highest rated in the nation among tackles with over 500 snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. 

"Looking at myself on film from 2018 and 2019, I feel like I'm a whole different player, a different person," Anderson said. "That growth is thanks to Coach (Brian Braswell) and the chemistry that Bras has built."

Perhaps most important for any offensive line is to build a strong bond on and off the field with their quarterback. 

That's no problem for the Terps. 

"(Tagovailoa) has the keys to the castle; he's our guy," Anderson said. "We trust him to make the right calls and put us in the right positions, and it's our job to protect him in the pocket. There's a lot of trust we have in each other."

Mason Lunsford

Enos saw that trust grow firsthand last year in Tagovailoa's first full season as Terp. 

"Taulia really grew a lot last year as a leader, and I think part of that growth has become a really good relationship with him and the linemen," Enos said. "I think they have a lot of respect for Taulia, the work he puts in, his knowledge. And on the flipside of that, I think Taulia has really gained a lot of respect for that group, the amount of effort and time they've put in, how much growth they've had…I think those guys are tied at the hip pretty good right now."

If Media Day was any indication, the offensive line not only has Tagovailoa's complete trust, but he's also going to keep putting them in the spotlight as much as he can. 

"That's the group I'm most excited about," Tagovailoa said. "I feel like they're the reason why we can go all the way."