Relentless Work Ethic: 2025 Football Preview

It’s been 274 days since Maryland football wrapped up its 2024 season in State College, Pennsylvania. 

Since that moment, it’s been full speed ahead for head coach Michael Locksley on the hiring, recruiting, and training sides. 

After bringing in a slew of new coaches and players, the 2025 Maryland Terrapins are ready to reset the barometer of the program from the first snap of the season. 

“We don’t ease our way into anything,” Locksley said. “We ignite, and to elevate, you’ve got to ignite.”

There’s plenty to be excited about a 2025 season that promises to be a bounce-back from a 4-8 2024 campaign. 

“We talked about the frustration of the 2024 season and because of it, we’ve had a relentless work ethic throughout our building the last 273 days,” Locksley said on Tuesday.

The hunger for another chance to make an impact on the Big Ten Conference didn’t wait until players were back on campus in the summer. It made its presence known early. 

“When we got into spring ball and saw what we could do and the potential we had as a defense, I think that’s when we really put the last season behind us and became ready for a new season,” senior defensive back Jalen Huskey said. 

Now, a roster chalk-full of new faces is ready to raise the standard of Terrapin football.

“I’ve seen firsthand the impact these coaches and these new players have had in our program and I’m excited to see what they do on Saturday,” Locksley said.

New offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton joined Locksley’s staff ahead of the 2025 season, ready to rejuvenate the run game, an effort that relies heavily on the Terps’ new offensive line that’s been a bright spot in camp. 

“I feel good about that group as a whole because I’ve seen them from the end of last season until now,” Locksley said. “With the pieces we’ve added, I’ve seen the improvement out of that group.”

As for the passing game, there’s no shortage of options for the Terps this season, and three-straight home games against nonconference opponents should see many guys make immediate impacts. 

“I feel like we’ve got weapons all over the field,” sophomore tight end Dorian Fleming said. “I feel like anybody can make a play at any time and I think that’s what makes us explosive.”

An impressive recruiting class and several meaningful transfers bought into the foundation Hamilton is laying in the offense, and is ready to put the Big Ten on blast. 

“Coach Pep does a great job with being able to spread the ball around,” Fleming said. “Anybody can get the ball at any moment and we’ve got a lot of playmakers that can make plays when the ball gets into their hands.”

While a lot of the outside noise harps on 2024, Locksley’s team only has eyes for the present. 

“I’m not worried about 2024,” Locksley said. “2024 has no bearing on 2025. We will be defined in the present of what we do now. I have to use 2024 as a barometer for our team, because that’s where we were. But for us, 2024 will have zero bearing on 2025.”

That includes a defensive front that’ll be managed by new defensive coordinator Ted Monachino, who joined Locksley’s staff in March.

“That defensive side of the ball has a bunch of new faces and new people,” Locksley said. “How they communicate, get the calls in, get aligned, and be able to execute the defensive structures that we call will be a big thing for us.”

A big first step of that was building chemistry in camp, something Huskey said came easily. 

“We became a really close-knit group,” Huskey said. “We were able to iron out the communication areas that we’ve had in the past and we’ve all bought in on being an exceptional secondary. I think all the things we did off the field have translated on the field.”

Big Ten football is notoriously won in the trenches, an area Locksley’s been pleased with the progression of. 

“I feel like we recruited some really talented pass rushers and I’ve got to see them go do it,” Locksley said. “I’ve watched it for the last 30 days in camp, the iron sharpening iron with our offensive line.”

A new-look offensive line and a dominant defensive front will be key components in the 2025 season, Locksley expects to see growth in, even from an inexperienced group of guys. 

“As a young team, you’ll see us get better each week as we get familiar with our routine,” Locksley said. “I think 64% of our team has never played a game for us wearing a Terp uniform, so it’ll be important for us to do a great job as we bring them along.”

Three home games against FAU (Aug. 30), Northern Illinois (Sept. 5) and Towson (Sept. 13) will open the season before a stretch of nine conference games gets started on Sept. 20 in Madison, Wisconsin. 

“I always talk about this being like Christmas for coaches,” Locksley said of early-season games. “We really won’t know what kind of team we have until we face adversity.”

In conference play, the Terps will host four games and take to the road for the other five. Amongst their opponents are three teams that will start the season ranked. All season long, Maryland will have chances to compete in a premier conference against iron-sharpening competition.

“It’s not really going to be about our opponent,” Locksley said. “It'll be about what we do and that’s what we’ll focus on.”

Maryland’s staff will be looking beyond the win column to assess its talented new core of players, which is set to elevate the program with its relentless effort. 

“Success is production being equal to or greater than our expectations,” Locksley said. “Our players know what our desires are. Our players know and understand what we have to do.”

2025 will be Locksley’s seventh season and will surely be different from each of its predecessors. But that doesn't mean anyone’s unprepared for it.  

“It’s like having a child,” Locksley said of the dawn of each new season. “I’ve had four of them and each one was a little bit different kind of delivery. So, I’m looking forward to this delivery on Saturday to get a feel for who we are.”

Locksley and his staff have their first chance to see how their new-look squad delivers on Saturday, Aug. 30, as Maryland takes on FAU at noon.