What Maryland Football Had To Say During On-Campus Media Day
Hear from the Terps’ coaches and student-athletes as fall camp gets underway.
8/5/2026
COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland football hosted its on-campus media day on Wednesday at SECU Stadium as 10 student-athletes and three coaches spoke about the excitement of the upcoming season.
“The main excitement about this year’s roster is just how many guys we brought back,” sophomore quarterback Malik Washington said. “We brought back a lot of key elements to the team, and I’m just super excited to get another chance to be able to go on the field with these guys.”
Head coach Michael Locksley is entering his eighth year at the helm of Maryland football, and finds himself more optimistic about this year’s roster than others he’s had in the past. Despite Wednesday being a day of interviews and availability, the Terps established their theme of modest silence for the 2026 season.
“The message for us is that our work needs to be louder than our words. We won’t be doing a lot of talking, but I will say that I really love the make-up of this team. I’ve been on this campus for 18 seasons, and this is one of the more talented teams that I’ve been a part of while being here at Maryland.”Michael Locksley
The Terrapins return 71 percent of last season's production — the second-highest figure in the nation behind only Notre Dame. Seven of the program's 11 All-Big Ten selections are back, and the flashes of young talent that 2025 demonstrated are set to blend into a mature consistency in 2026.
“We have a group of guys that know the system,” Locksley said. “They know how we do things, which makes things a lot easier. We have a building full of both players and coaches that have been willing to put in the work to get us back to where we all want us to be.”
Gallery: 2026 Football Fall Camp Press Conference
There are some fresh faces on the coaching staff, including new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett, who addressed the media on Wednesday:
- “We have a lot to be excited about on offense. Returning the second-most production in the country is a very big stat to have. We’re excited about that because those were young guys that I’m sure a lot of people wanted to come after, so the fact that they wanted to stay means they want to play for this school. We have a lot of local guys and local talents that want to play for this school and want to play for this head coach, and I think that’s critical and evident.”
- “There is a point of emphasis on the run attack. I do like to throw the ball. I was a quarterback, but I’m also the son of an offensive line coach, so there’s a back-and-forth there. I like air-raid offenses, and throwing the ball around, and I’ve never had a Malik Washington before. We’re going to take full advantage of that, but at the same time, there is going to be a point of emphasis on the run game. We’ve been able to do that in my past, and we’ve been focused on that in the spring and summer.”
- “We want to play with tempo. That’s been a point of emphasis. We want to play with a sense of urgency. We want to make them defend every blade of grass.”
- “I thought we had a really good spring and a great summer. That’s going to propel us into an even better fall camp.”
- “We’ve got a running back room with a lot of different skillsets, a wide receiver room with a lot of different skillsets, and then the tight end room I'm probably most excited about because of what we have in that one.”
Maryland’s defense took great pride in leading the Big Ten in interceptions in 2025, and the amount of returning production and surplus of young stars had defensive coordinator Ted Monachino excited at media day.
- “I love our guys defensively. I think we have everything we need. We have size where we need it, speed where we need it, we’re smart where we need to be, and we’re explosive and violent where we need to be. I’m excited about this group.”
- “A year ago, we had a chance to build a lot of calluses and learn a lot of lessons with a very young team. There’s a standard that comes with playing defense with that logo on the side of our helmet, and we’ve got to continue to drive that standard in a way that leads to winning defense.”
- “I love our veteran leaders and our emerging young leaders. I think that we’ve got a really good leadership core in just about every position room.”
- “I will confirm that our quarterback is a really good player. Practicing against him and defending the play and then the play after the play is always an issue with him. That’s why he’s our guy.”
Washington redefined what was possible for a true freshman quarterback a year ago. His commitment to return to College Park for another season became the first of many as the Terps’ offense regrouped, hungry to build off a 2025 season that offered glimpses of greatness with Washington at the helm. Here’s what the offense had to say about the upcoming campaign:
- “Knowing that you have people that want to be here gives a lot of confidence. That’s a great thing to feel. We’re just going to continue to grow closer as a team and attack this season. We have to be one voice, one sound, one heart, and I think we’re getting very close to that point.” - OL Isaiah Wright
- “The culture here is good. We’re all here because we want to be at Maryland and make it great. The togetherness is big for us. We all hang out together, position groups don’t matter.” - TE Dorian Fleming
- “What excites me is bringing 70% of our roster back. Seeing some of those young guys showcase their talents in the Big Ten last year and come back is great. We all have a lot we want to showcase, and we want to put teams on notice. I know we have a team that can make a deep run, so we’re all excited to showcase that.” - WR Kaleb Webb
- “Being with guys for multiple years makes it easier to bond. Especially with our offensive line, we’ve been doing a lot of stuff outside of football together, and that’s going to help us when we have to go through tough situations.” - OL Michael Hershey
- “It’s all about the finish. That was the part we lacked last year, just our fourth-quarter finish. It’s an experience that we needed to go through. We took the losses and turned them into lessons.” - QB Malik Washington
One of the nation’s best takeaway teams from a year ago returns stars on the defensive line, secondary, and linebacker corps. From leading tackler Daniel Wingate to young thumpers Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart, the defense spoke about its incredible balance on Wednesday:
- “You’re going to see a lot of linebackers playing fast and physical, not really talking, just getting after it. They’re going to have to deal with us the whole game, they’re not going to be able to get away from us. We’ll have relentless effort and we’ll be everywhere around the ball.” - LB Daniel Wingate
- “We’re going to work hard and earn our outcomes. I know we’re going to put in the hard work to become better football players, and we already have the brotherhood, so it’s going to all come together.” - LB Carlton Smith
- “We’re a clean and new slate. We’re not worried about the results of last year. We’re just excited to see what we can do this year. There’s a chance for us to step up to the plate and do something big.” - DL Sidney Stewart
- “Last year, we were all pretty young. It took time to learn the system. Being back with so many guys and having new faces helps encourage us to be the best we can be.” - DL Zahir Mathis
- “Having so much of the team back is phenomenal. The brotherhood is so good. Everyone feels the pain of the close losses last year, so we’re all ready to get the job done.” - DB Lavain Scruggs
SECU Stadium also treated media members to many of the new food and concession options that will be available at Maryland home games in 2026, including loaded fries, hand-tossed wings, and street tacos. Over 20 new dining options will be available as the Terps continue to enhance the gameday experience at SECU Stadium.
With the season opener against Hampton exactly one month away (tickets can be purchased here), the excitement for 2026 is building. The talk is minimal. The expectations are internal. The foundation has been laid, and the work begins as camp gets underway.
