Nolan Ray is quickly becoming a key cog in Maryland football’s offense

Ray’s carries have increased in every game this year.

Maryland football took the field down 13-7 to begin the third quarter on the road against rival Virginia. Its defense forced a quick three-and-out, and the Terps’ offense needed to put points on the board to solidify the momentum swing.

Billy Edwards Jr. lined up in shotgun to take the drive’s first snap. To his left in the backfield was redshirt freshman Nolan Ray. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back was tasked with helping kick-start a crucial drive in a must-win game for the Terps.

Ray’s big-play potential generated a ton of excitement from coaches this offseason. But when he needed to do the dirty work against the Cavaliers, he did. He carried the ball four times for 22 yards — all for positive gains and none longer than 8 yards — on a drive that ended with Maryland taking a lead it never gave up.

Ray has proven he can be more than a change-of-pace back. He does all the things that make running backs complete players.

His 12 forced missed tackles comfortably leads the team, according to PFF (Pro Football Focus). He’s a viable option out of the backfield as a pass-catcher. And although he isn’t asked to protect the quarterback much, Ray’s pass-blocking PFF grade (78.4) is the highest among all Terps who have appeared in all three games.

The coaching staff has rewarded him with an increasingly-large workload. Ray is third on the team in total touches with 27, and his carries have gone up every game this season. His 5.5 yards per carry leads a running back room with two productive upperclassmen in Roman Hemby and Colby McDonald.

“Our game plan on offense, it’s always geared toward getting our best players the ball,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “Nolan is one of our best players.”

It didn’t take Ray long to prove his coach right. On his first carry of the season, Ray cut between two UConn defenders into open space, bounced off a defensive back and ran 48 yards to the house.

That run validated a sentiment echoed by many in the Maryland program this offseason: Ray is an explosive play waiting to happen.

“[Nolan is] blazing fast. He makes a lot of plays, and he shows up a lot on film,” Hemby said during fall camp. “That’s natural. You can’t teach that.”

Ray, a Michigan native, was a three-star prospect coming out of high school. He picked Maryland over 16 other FBS programs, including Stanford and Iowa. Ray saw action in Maryland’s 2023 season opener against Towson, but suffered an injury that ended his season, according to Inside the Black and Gold.

He gave a preview of what he could provide Maryland’s offense in the team’s annual Spring Game. Ray led all players with 96 yards, including a 49-yard scamper down the left sideline.

“Nolan Ray is a young guy that really came on this spring, and probably made one of the biggest jumps and biggest impacts on our team that people are really excited about,” offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said.

Ray’s 2024 role is limited by the talent surrounding him in the running back room. Hemby is a two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention with more than 2,500 career yards from scrimmage. He’s still the clear-cut top running back on the team. McDonald, a senior, also has 17 carries through three games.

But Hemby is a redshirt junior. Next year will be his last year of eligibility if he doesn’t depart for the NFL this offseason. In the meantime, Ray is learning everything he can from Hemby, who Locksley called an “unbelievable guy” and “tremendous leader.” Hemby’s shoes will be Ray’s to fill sooner rather than later.

“Being in a room with a guy who did things so well but is so determined to keep getting better, just shows me that you’re never good enough … there’s always something you got to improve on,” Ray said. “Being able to look to him for leadership as I was getting healthy [and] getting familiar with the playbook was huge.”