The Terps are set for a position battle at quarterback likely to extend near the first week of the season.
Maryland football head coach Mike Locksley didn’t mince words when asked the most popular question of his team heading into spring practice: Who’s going to start at quarterback?
“Nobody ask me again. I can’t make it any clearer,” Locksley said. “… I have no idea who my starting quarterback is and I am looking forward to figuring it out. … Tuesday before UConn, you’ll get an answer.”
For the first time since Taulia Tagovailoa arrived on campus ahead of the 2020 season, the Terps will have someone other than No. 3 under center for their season opener. They gave a sneak peek at what that could look like in December’s Music City Bowl, playing both Billy Edwards Jr. and Cameron Edge, but the competition is more than a two-person bout. It’s evolved into one that involves the whole position group, with the Terps looking for the successor to their most productive quarterback ever — who was fittingly in attendance as the battle officially kicked off Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re excited with the guys that we have in that room. We’ve recruited some really good guys,” Locksley said. “We’ve got a great opportunity to, you know, develop that room and see if we can continue to build on a foundation that [Tagovailoa] played a part in laying.”
In the mix alongside Edwards and Edge is NC State transfer MJ Morris, who joined the program ahead of the bowl game. Able to participate in some of the team’s bowl preparation, Morris has dual-threat ability and came to Maryland in part because of Locksley’s word that he’d be thrown right into the position battle — which piqued his competitive nature.
“The first thing coach [Locksley] told me was that if I come here, it’s gonna be a competition. And that’s what I loved about it, because he was straightforward with me,” Morris said. “He said, ‘The job’s not yours, you’re gonna have to work for it. Everybody’s gonna have to work for it here. The best man is going to be on that field.’”
Most expect one of Edwards, Edge or Morris taking the reins of the offense, but Locksley made sure to note the presences of Jayden Sauray and Champ Long, neither of whom have seen game action at Maryland. In the open portion of Tuesday’s practice, all five quarterbacks received equal reps. They believe that will ultimately put the team in the best position to win come fall.
“Coach [Locksley] always talks about competition, you know, brings out the best in people,” Edwards said. “So, you know, whether it’s a two-man competition or a five-man competition, I think it’s gonna be good for all of us to, you know, push each other, make each other better.”
With five players gunning for a single role, competition on the field will be fierce. Even so, Maryland’s quarterbacks share a notable camaraderie. They liken their bonds to that of a brotherhood, able to separate their closeness from the knowledge that only one can start the season under center.
“There’s the on the field part and off the field. And, I mean, we don’t never let it get touchy or anything like that,” said Edge. “It’s been really good, because those are guys I talk to every day. … I think it’s a really good group.”
Other positions may be better determinants as to how far the Terps will go in 2024. But as long as the quarterback is in a state of indecision, it’ll be in the spotlight.