In addition to the money from coach Mike Locksley’s desk, the suspect is also accused of stealing $1,000 more in cash and a pair of Oakley sunglasses from the office of the football program’s chief of staff, Brian Griffin, according to an indictment handed down in late August.

The suspect, a 48-year-old from Reisterstown, had also been accused four years ago of stealing from offices at different schools’ athletic departments over the course of several months. In multiple theft cases, including the one in College Park, investigators noted that he dressed up to blend in on campus, sometimes carrying props to solidify the act.

It was not clear in court records if the suspect had been served with the Aug. 20 indictment, and a spokesperson for the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office was not able to immediately answer when asked about his status on Monday afternoon. A call to a phone number associated with the suspect was not returned.

The indictment, which charges the 48-year-old with four burglary and theft offenses, replaces a shorter set of charges issued in early July in connection with the June 16 thefts, though authorities never served him with an arrest warrant issued for those offenses, according to court records.

Surveillance footage from June showed the suspect following a couple into the Jones-Hill House, the football program’s training complex and administrative headquarters, at around noon, a campus police detective wrote in charging documents.

An employee opened the front door for the couple, and the suspect followed from behind while pretending to be on his phone, according to the charging documents. He was clad in a button-down shirt and dress pants, and also wore a camera with an extended lens around his neck “as if he was there to take photographs,” the officer wrote.

The suspect lingered around a staircase while the couple and the employee proceeded into the building. Then, he stopped using his phone “as soon as they left his view,” darting up the stairs to the football program’s administrative offices, which were unoccupied, the investigator wrote.

He “quickly went into multiple offices,” eventually entering Locksley’s through an open door and then proceeding to Griffin’s, where he exited with a gray pair of sunglasses, according to charging papers. The suspect left the building and waited for an Uber, which police said took him to a nearby parking lot, where he got into a BMW.

Baltimore Police stopped the BMW the next week, leading to campus investigators identifying the suspect and getting the warrant for his arrest.

Police noted that the same suspect was seen on surveillance footage “sneaking” into the university’s Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center earlier in June, though he was “spooked by an employee” who passed him in the office area.

The campus police investigators’ description of how the suspect carried out the June burglary appears strikingly similar to what Baltimore County Police wrote in a 2020 application for theft charges against the same man. The Reisterstown resident was charged that year in connection with a series of thefts from athletic offices at Stevenson University and the nearby Jemicy School.

County police investigators wrote that a set of keys belonging to the private institution’s head baseball coach were stolen from an unlocked office during a 2019 open house event. They pointed to footage of a “well-dressed male, carrying a folder” seen wandering the halls of the school’s sports complex “as if he belonged there” before entering the coach’s office and leaving with a set of keys.

A month later, the same person was seen taking $200 of student government money from the desk of a Jemicy School coach, charging papers say. In February 2020, he was again seen entering a different Stevenson coach’s office — $120 was taken from her purse that night.

He was identified as the suspect in that string of thefts after a Stevenson employee confronted him in a player locker room. The charges against him — four misdemeanor theft counts — were ultimately shelved, or placed on the inactive docket, in a 2022 agreement with county prosecutors, according to court records.

One of the few bright spots in Saturday’s shocking 27-24 setback to visiting Michigan State on Saturday was the growing connection between quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and wide receiver Tai Felton.

With 11 catches for 152 yards and one touchdown against the Spartans and seven receptions for 178 yards and two scores in a 50-7 victory over UConn on Aug. 31, Felton became the first Terps receiver to collect 100 yards in each of his first two games since Dontay Demus Jr. in 2021 and the first player to amass 150 yards in back-to-back games since Jermaine Lewis in 1995. With 330 yards in two games, the senior has already exceeded the 309 yards he compiled in 13 games in 2022 and is halfway to his career high of six touchdown catches last year.

Edwards Jr., a redshirt junior, acknowledged his rapport with Felton but emphasized that he wants to develop chemistry with more of his wide receivers.

“The past two games, it’s been a little bit more with Tai inside with just so many teams playing Cover 2 and trying to take away shots,” he said. “So we’ll continue to build on that connection and just me with all of the receivers — whether that’s with [junior] Shaleak Knotts, [junior] Octavian Smith [Jr.], [senior] Kaden Prather. We’ll continue to build on that. They have the confidence in me, and I have the confidence in them that regardless of who’s in the game, we can make stuff happen.”

Here are three observations from Saturday night’s loss:

The Big Ten remains too big for Maryland

For all of the talk about contending for a conference title last season and upsetting the status quo this fall, the Terps continue to lay eggs at critical junctures.

Last year’s team had a chance to rebound from a 37-17 setback at then-No. 4 Ohio State after a 5-0 start, but dropped back-to-back games to Illinois (27-24 on Oct. 14) and Northwestern (33-27 on Oct. 28). On Saturday, Maryland faced a Spartans roster filled with 61 newcomers (tied for seventh-most at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level) and coming off of an unimpressive 16-10 win against Florida Atlantic.

But the offense couldn’t run the ball, the defense got gashed through the air, and redshirt junior kicker Jack Howes missed a 41-yard field goal that would have inflated the Terps’ lead to 10 points with less than five minutes left. After the game, coach Mike Locksley conceded that Saturday’s matchup was “one we should’ve won,” which sounds nice but spotlights the blemish of a 0-1 start in the Big Ten and heightens the magnitude of an upcoming four-game stretch that includes games against Indiana (2-0) and Northwestern (1-1).

Even so, Locksley refused to sound the alarm after the loss to Michigan State.

“It’s early in the year. So I’m not in here telling you that the season is lost because we took a tough loss here at home against a good team,” he said. “But I think and expect this team to respond in the right way. They’ve done the work, they continue to do things the way we need them done in practice, but it has to translate to games. When we have opportunities to win Big Ten games like we had with this one, we have to seize the opportunity.”

Senior safety Dante Trader Jr. expressed confidence in what Locksley has consistently described as a “player-led culture.”

“Guys like me, guys like the leaders, we’ve got to do our jobs,” the McDonogh graduate said. “This is where the leadership comes like we’ve been talking about and preaching about the whole time. It’s not all lost. We’ve got to get back to the drawing board.”

Let the second-guessing commence

Armchair quarterbacks will have a field day reviewing Locksley’s decisions in that pivotal fourth quarter.

Howes’ 41-yarder that he pushed right occurred on fourth-and-1 at Michigan State’s 23-yard line. On the ensuing play, sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles hurled a deep throw to freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh for a 77-yard touchdown that allowed the Spartans to tie the score at 24.

Locksley had no qualms about sending in Howes, who had converted all four of his field goals before that miss — including a 45-yarder in the third quarter.

“Jack’s our kicker,” he said. “We had a chance to go up two scores. If I do kick it and we don’t score, you’re going to say, ‘Why didn’t you go for it?’ If I kick it and we make it, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t from that standpoint. But the smart play is to go up by two possessions, 10 points.”

On Maryland’s next series, the offense faced fourth-and-1 at its own 44, but Locksley chose to send in redshirt sophomore Bryce McFerson, who punted the ball to Michigan State’s 16 with 2:12 remaining. The Spartans capitalized with a 13-play, 65-yard drive culminating in graduate student kicker Jonathan Kim’s 37-yard field goal with one second left on the clock.

Locksley could have called a play for Edwards Jr., who excelled at short-yardage and goal-line situations last season when he scored a team-high seven rushing touchdowns. But Locksley said the goal was to pin Michigan State inside the 10 and rely on the defense.

Edwards Jr. wasn’t going to contradict Locksley and said opponents are more likely to be aware of his running ability in short-yardage situations.

“I think we’re just trying to get creative with things,” he said. “I’ve got the utmost confidence in our game plans as a whole and specifically our short-yardage and stuff like that. At the end of the day, it just comes down to mindset and going out there and taking it.”

The experienced defense that was supposed to be a strength looked lost

Michigan State outlasted Florida Atlantic despite a sluggish performance from Chiles, who went 10-for-24 for 114 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

On Saturday, Chiles looked like the second coming of Kirk Cousins, completing 24 of 39 throws for 363 yards and three touchdowns that offset the three interceptions Maryland came away with.

Locksley said the plan was to force the Spartans to veer away from the run game and rely on Chiles to use his arm. With only one returning starter in the secondary (Trader), that strategy failed, and Locksley acknowledged that the coaches might have to keep one safety deep or use more players to rush opposing quarterbacks and force them to make quicker decisions.

“Some of the times, it didn’t look like we were in good coverage, and we gave up some big plays,” he said. “Those are some growing pains that I hate that we have to go through now. And I know for the people who support us, they don’t like to hear it, but those are necessary growing pains that some of these inexperienced players are going to have to go through. We’ve got to help them as coaches by figuring out how to protect them a little bit more.”

Trader said he and fellow safety Glendon Miller, who collected two interceptions in the game and has three in the first two games, have to support a young cornerback corps that includes freshmen Brandon Jacob and Kevyn Humes.

“I’ve got to do better, Glen has to do better to help these young corners gain confidence,” Trader said. “Not a lot of them have played the amount of ball we’ve played, and the speed of the game is really different. You will see a big difference from this loss to next week in terms of our secondary play.”

After enjoying a 43-point demolition of UConn a week ago, the Terps failed to protect a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter and watched helplessly as graduate student kicker Jonathan Kim’s 37-yard field goal with one second left cemented a 27-24 win for Michigan State on Saturday evening before an announced 34,819 at SECU Stadium.

Maryland missed out on an opportunity to win its first two games for the ninth time in the past 10 years and its third consecutive Big Ten home opener. The program lost for only the second time in 15 games in September over the past four seasons.

“We had one taken,” coach Mike Locksley said. “You’ve got to give Michigan State credit. They took the game. They drove it down, and they kicked the winning field goal. They did what we didn’t do, and that to me, that’s the part — as a player-led team and me as the head coach — we’ve got to get fixed.”

As disappointed as he was, senior safety Dante Trader Jr. chose to cling to a silver lining.

“It’s kind of good that it happened early,” said the McDonogh graduate, who had three tackles. “We didn’t want it to happen at all, but it’s life. It’s the game of football. It’s always taking something away. It’s not a game that always gives. But we’ll figure it out.”

After a slow start, redshirt junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. found his rhythm in the second half and finished 26-for-34 with 253 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 13 yards and one score.

For the second consecutive game, Edwards’ favorite target was Tai Felton, who caught 11 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown. The senior wide receiver became the first Terps receiver to reach 100 yards in each of his first two games since Dontay Demus Jr. in 2021 and the first player to compile 150 yards in back-to-back games since Jermaine Lewis in 1995.

But that duo was outplayed by the Spartans’ pair of Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh. Chiles, a sophomore transfer from Oregon State, connected on 24 of 39 throws for 363 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Marsh, a freshman, amassed 194 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions.

Michigan State (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten) exposed a Maryland defense that returned seven starters and appeared to be the team’s strength after limiting the Huskies to 88 rushing yards and forcing either a punt or turnover on 11 of 15 offensive possessions. The Spartans rolled to 493 yards, including 363 through the air, averaged 7.1 yards per play and converted 8 of 14 third-down chances.

“The game plan was to make them beat us throwing the ball, and Aidan Chiles and those receivers did a good job of winning,” Locksley said. “We had our chances. We just didn’t take advantage of them, and to me, we’ve got to get that part fixed.”

If there was a bright spot for the Terps, they came away with three interceptions, including two by redshirt senior safety Glendon Miller. With at least one interception in four straight games, Miller just needs an interception at Virginia on Saturday night to tie the school record of five straight games with an interception set by Lewis Sanders in 1999.

Trailing 17-14 at halftime, Maryland tied the score thanks to a 45-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Jack Howes midway through the third quarter. The Terps regained the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when Edwards found sophomore tight end Dylan Wade along the left sideline for a 28-yard touchdown.

But one play after Howes pushed a 41-yard field goal attempt wide right, Michigan State knotted the score at 24 when Chiles launched a deep pass to Marsh to complete a 77-yard touchdown with 4:11 remaining.

While acknowledging that freshman cornerback Kevyn Humes, a Baltimore native and St. Frances graduate, slipped in the defensive backfield, Trader said he and Miller have to provide better support.

“We were in a certain coverage where it was really one-on-one,” Trader said. “It’s kind of hard, but we knew they were going to give us the race route. That quarterback did a good job of finding his playmakers to make explosive plays. So we’ve got to go back to the drawing board because we will get that upcoming since we showed we couldn’t cover that today.”

The Spartans defense forced the Terps to punt. Michigan State took advantage of a pass interference penalty on junior cornerback Jalen Huskey to extend its final series and end the game courtesy of Kim’s 37-yard field goal.

The Terps opened the game as if they were still living off the high of last Saturday’s 50-7 rout of UConn. They marched 75 yards in 14 plays, and although Edwards missed senior wide receivers Kaden Prather and Felton three times for potential touchdowns, the quarterback connected with Felton on a 15-yard corner route to the back left corner of the end zone for the early 7-0 lead nearly halfway through the first quarter.

Michigan State replied on its first possession. Aided by an unnecessary roughness call by redshirt sophomore cornerback Perry Fisher and a 30-yard run by junior running back Nathan Carter, Chiles found senior wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. for a 9-yard score with less than six minutes remaining.

On the Spartans’ next offensive series, Chiles wildly overthrew Marsh, and the ball landed in Miller’s waiting arms. He returned the ball 28 yards to Michigan State’s 17-yard line, and two plays later, Edwards carried the ball seven yards off left tackle for a touchdown that gave Maryland a 14-7 lead with 47 seconds left in the frame.

Again, the Spartans had a response. They drove to the Terps’ 21 before junior right guard Gavin Broscious was flagged for an illegal blindside block. But on second down-and-23, junior wide receiver Jaron Glover faked outside and sprinted inside past Huskey to catch a 34-yard touchdown that tied the score at 14 with less than 11 minutes left in the second quarter.

Michigan State pounced on another Maryland error to end the first half. Kim’s 55-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left as time expired, but Huskey had jumped offsides. Kim made his second chance count with a 50-yarder on an untimed play to give the Spartans the 17-14 lead at intermission.

Locksley’s message to the players in the locker room was that there are 10 more games on the schedule — beginning with Saturday night’s road game against Virginia — and Edwards echoed that sentiment.

“Like Coach Locks said in the locker room, the season is not a loss, it’s not a wipeout,” he said. “We’ve got to correct the things we’ve got to correct. We’ve got a really tough game coming on the road down to Charlottesville next week against UVA, and we’ve got to get this stuff correct and be ready for the rest of the season and so on. It’ll be tough, but we’ve got the right group of guys in the locker room. I think we’re all ready to get back in here tomorrow and Monday and watch the tape and most importantly learn from it and rally the guys and move on.”

Maryland at Virginia

Saturday, 8 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Radio: 105.7 FM

But now is not the time to feel satisfied, according to the redshirt junior quarterback.

“It definitely was a special moment — one that I tried to soak in,” he said Tuesday afternoon during the team’s weekly media availability. “Probably when it’s all said and done, I’ll go back and be able to take it all in, but it means a lot.”

Edwards’ performance might have meant just as much to Terps fans who wondered if anyone could succeed four-year starter and Big Ten career passing leader Taulia Tagovailoa. Edwards completed 20 of 27 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball five times for 39 yards in one of the more impressive season debuts in recent memory.

Edwards’ play was applauded by teammates on both sides of the ball.

“He’s a guy,” said senior wide receiver Tai Felton, who emerged as Edwards’ favorite target with seven catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns. “I was telling him on the sideline how proud I was of him, just seeing him work and how he put his head down and always stayed down and worked. It was great, and we’re going to keep pushing forward 100%.”

Added fifth-year senior outside linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II: “Just Billy winning the job and going out there and being efficient like he always is, that was great to see. He put a lot of work in from January to now, and everybody is now seeing that come to fruition.”

To those who know Edwards well, confidence has never been an issue — even if he had to outplay redshirt sophomores MJ Morris and Cameron Edge in the preseason to earn coach Mike Locksley’s blessing. Mike Dougherty, Edwards’ coach at Lake Braddock High in Burke, Virginia, recalled Edwards approaching the coach at a team interest meeting and introducing himself as “a Division I quarterback.”

“You could tell that it took some courage for him to come up to the coach who just got hired to let him know, ‘Hey, I’m your next DI quarterback,’” Dougherty recalled. “It was wholesome. He was letting me know that I was going to get to work with him, and it’s been a funny story ever since.”

Dougherty said Edwards ate lunch in the coaches’ office every weekday for two years and asked the coaches to help him fortify his understanding of playing the quarterback position.

“He wanted to come in and get on the board,” Dougherty said. “He wanted to get better at drawing plays and understanding, ‘What is a Y? What is an X? How do I draw up a Cover 2?’ That just snowballed. We run a heavy [run-pass option] scheme, and I never had any idea what was going to happen once the ball was snapped. He was either grippin’ and rippin’ or he was handing it off or he was taking off. He just understood the offense better than we did.”

As mobile as he is, Edwards was tutored as a pocket passer. Dougherty pointed out that Edwards threw 30 touchdown passes while becoming the first sophomore quarterback to start for him in 27 years of coaching.

Edwards, who nearly matched his career passing yardage total of 436 in Saturday’s game, said he didn’t give questions about his passing ability much traction.

“I think I’ve always had it in me,” he said. “I think it was just about getting more comfortable in it. Obviously in two seasons and the nature of the games I went in, there was not much time to get comfortable whether it was a sporadic start here or there or coming in for a short-yardage, goal-line package, whatever the case may be. But I think the biggest thing for me this offseason was more mental and trusting the fact that I can throw the football.”

Edwards is a favorite among his teammates and coaches. Locksley noted that the quarterback is genuine and doesn’t have any pretenses.

“Who Billy is when you meet him is who he is as a player,” Locksley said. “Very rarely do you see him get excitable. I think he has emotion. He’s one of those guys that he’s on both sides of the aisle. You’ll see him hanging out with the running backs and then with the big O-linemen. He gets along with everybody. To me, when you think of a quarterback, it’s a person who elevates the play of his teammates.”

Redshirt freshman running back Nolan Ray said Edwards is a constant source of encouragement for his teammates.

“He’s going to pick you up,” said Ray, who gained 60 yards and one touchdown on six attempts against the Huskies. “If you get down on yourself, he won’t allow you to do that. That’s important to have in the huddle. When you face that adversity in the tough games, you need a guy that’s going to be able to pick the team up and keep everybody’s spirits up, and he’s good at that.”

Whether Maryland (1-0) can defeat visiting Michigan State (1-0) in Saturday’s Big Ten opener at 3:30 p.m. at SECU Stadium might rely on another strong outing by Edwards. Spartans coach Jonathan Smith took note of the task that awaits his defense.

“It is a challenge because they’ve got talent on the outside and can make you miss and a quarterback with a strong arm who is a willing runner,” he said. “Coach Locksley has done it at a high level on that offensive side for a long time. It’s a serious challenge.”

Edwards is quick to remind everyone that any team success is a cooperative effort.

“I’m excited with what we have inside the locker room, what we have going,” he said. “This season’s a fun time. Everyone in that locker room is putting 55-plus hours per week into the game plan and putting in their time and effort for us to go out there and have a chance to succeed on Saturday. So that’s what keeps me motivated, to keep the main thing the main thing right now.”

Big Ten opener

Michigan State at Maryland

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: BTN

Radio: 105.7 FM

Whether the Terps (1-0) will have the same trio at their disposal for their Big Ten opener against Michigan State (1-0) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at SECU Stadium remains to be seen.

Morris, a redshirt sophomore and North Carolina State transfer who entered the game after Edwards, was injured early in the fourth quarter after absorbing a hit to the head while sliding, and coach Mike Locksley said Tuesday afternoon during his weekly media session that Morris’ availability remains unclear.

“He was out yesterday,” Locksley said. “I haven’t had a chance to find out where he is today just yet.”

While Edwards, a redshirt junior, validated Locksley’s decision to start him by totaling a combined 350 passing and rushing yards and tossing two touchdown passes, Morris had completed 3 of 4 passes for 13 yards and carried the ball five times for 13 yards during his brief time under center. Morris’ injury opened the door for Edge to play most of the fourth quarter, and the redshirt sophomore passed for 57 yards and one touchdown.

Locksley did not commit to a repeat against the Spartans, but acknowledged that the offense’s overall philosophy is to help all three quarterbacks continue in their development.

“I think we’re still trying to put the game plan together for Michigan State, but I can tell you that anytime we have the opportunity to develop a second quarterback in the program, we’re going to try to do that,” he said. “If there’s some strengths he brings to the table from a skill set standpoint, we’ll utilize them because we want to utilize all the weapons in our offense, and we’ve got three quarterbacks that I feel we can win with.”

Even if Morris can’t play, Spartans first-year coach Jonathan Smith said his defense must be ready for some combination of Edwards and Edge.

“We’ve got to be ready for both,” Smith said. “I give both of them that skill set — to be able to run the ball and do some things. So we’re counting on seeing both.”

Injury report

In other injury news, Locksley said redshirt sophomore tight end Preston Howard played briefly against UConn after hyperextending what the coach described as “a lower extremity area.”

“He was nicked up most of camp,” Locksley said of the Arbutus native and McDonogh graduate. “We’ve been trying to get him healthy. We’re hoping to have him back this week, but he got nicked up in the game. Hyperextended a lower extremity area and made the decision to pull him and give him a chance to rest. But I expect him to be back and available and be able to be another cog in our offensive system because he’s a good player.”

Michigan State will be without three key reserves. Smith said redshirt junior safety Khalil Majeed (left leg) is doubtful to return this season, and junior cornerback Dillon Tatum (left ankle) will miss a couple months. And redshirt senior wide receiver/kick returner Alante Brown (upper body) might come back in November.

Challenge for defense

Even without Brown, the Spartans’ offense poses the biggest threat of the season to a Maryland defense that almost earned its first shutout since 2022.

Graduate student running back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown in just nine attempts, averaging 11.2 yards per carry. Michigan State ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns in Friday night’s 16-10 win against Florida Atlantic.

Lynch-Adams and his teammates benefitted from running behind an offensive line featuring graduate student left tackle Brandon Baldwin and a pair of graduate student transfer guards in Tanner Miller (Oregon State) and Luke Newman (Holy Cross). The front five’s play stood out to Terps redshirt sophomore nose tackle Jordan Phillips.

“I think they do a lot of good things with the stretch outside zone and some inside zone and a little bit of gap schemes,” he said. “They pull both guards. They also run that counter. I think they do a lot of good things on tape upfront. They’re very competitive, they play with low-pad level, and they play fundamentally sound, which tells me that they’re coached really good. I see a lot of good things from them on tape.”

Early start for Big Ten

Schools generally treat the conference portions of their schedules as the season within a season, and that begins Saturday for Maryland.

The game against Michigan State marks the Terps’ earliest Big Ten matchup since joining the Big Ten in 2014 and earliest league game since 2011 when that squad opened the season against Atlantic Coast Conference foe Miami on Sept. 5. It is also the first Big Ten matchup of the season for the entire league.

Locksley said opening the Big Ten on the first Saturday of September places an emphasis on getting off on the right foot.

“There’s no easing into conference play,” he said. “We know the value and what conference wins mean because when you start running your mouth about competing for conference championships, it starts with being able to win in-conference. Week 2 traditionally, we’ve kind of built into our conference play, and it’s here now.”

Ray rebounds

Nolan Ray’s first touch of the season was a successful one.

The redshirt freshman running back took his first carry 48 yards for Maryland’s second touchdown in Saturday’s romp over the Huskies. It was the kind of storybook debut Ray, who missed much of last season due to an unspecified injury, might have imagined writing.

Locksley had spent much of the preseason trumpeting Ray’s return, and he expressed his gratitude for his coach’s belief in him.

“It’s nice,” said Ray, who finished with six carries for 60 yards and the one score. “Just a reminder to keep working. It just reminds me that I’ve got to go out to practice every day and prove him right. Even though it’s just us out there, I’ve got to prove it to myself, I’ve got to prove it to him. That’s just what I’m trying to do every day at practice.”

Big Ten opener

Michigan State at Maryland

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: BTN

Radio: 105.7 FM

After building a 23-0 advantage at halftime that extended to 30-0 less than five minutes into the third quarter, the Terps (1-0) were able to liberally rotate reserves throughout their offensive and defensive alignments.

Courtesy of 83 snaps on offense, Maryland employed seven offensive linemen, six wide receivers, four running backs, three quarterbacks and two tight ends outside of the starting 11 players. With 63 snaps, the defense utilized nine defensive backs and linebackers and five defensive linemen aside from the starters.

“We got to play a lot of players, and to me, that was much needed for our team, especially in games like this when you look at the lack of experience on offense,” coach Mike Locksley said. “To be able to get [83] plays, I think we played somewhere [close] to 72 different players in this game. To me, that will come back to pay great dividends for us as we move through the season.”

Here are three other observations from the Terps’ victory:

Billy Edwards Jr. made Mike Locksley look like a genius

Any preseason concerns about the quarterback position were temporarily dispelled after the redshirt junior completed 20 of 27 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 39 yards on five carries.

Edwards’ start appeared to get off on the wrong foot when officials initially ruled that he fumbled the ball at the end of a 14-yard scamper to UConn’s 18-yard line. But after a review concluded that his elbow was on the turf before the ball was jostled from his grasp, Edwards promptly tossed an 18-yard touchdown strike to senior wide receiver Tai Felton to stake Maryland to a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.

Aside from a few deep throws, Edwards seemed content to look for short and intermediate gains in the passing game. That was fine with Locksley, who cited that recognition for choosing Edwards over redshirt sophomores MJ Morris and Cameron Edge in the preseason competition.

“If you just look at the comfort level that he showed operating the system with all the stuff going on around him and the way he was able to distribute the ball, that’s the reason,” he said. “I thought Billy did a really good job of controlling the offensive system — over 300 yards. To me, he did a great job of distributing the ball, getting it to the playmakers.”

Edwards shared credit with his teammates for finding gaps in the Huskies defense.

“They were playing deep and didn’t want to give up the ball over their head, but we were able to take advantage of some of the stuff they left underneath,” he said. “And like you saw from that long one by Tai, throw a [4]-yard ball, and he’ll take it [75]. So hats off to the skill around me. We’ve got a good group. So just trying to get the ball in their hands and let them make plays.”

The quarterbacks might be diving more than sliding

Locksley acknowledged that the coaches will review how their quarterbacks should end runs after both Edwards and Morris absorbed frightening hits in Saturday’s game.

Late in the second quarter, Edwards slid after a 6-yard scamper and was decked by redshirt senior safety Jordan Wright. Early in the fourth, Morris ran for 8 yards and slid before getting blasted by senior safety Rante Jones.

Both Wright and Jones were ejected for targeting, but the 6-foot-1, 209-pound Morris did not return to the game, opening the door for Edge to take over at quarterback. Still, no one associated with the Terps wants to see Edwards, Morris or Edge be that vulnerable, especially Locksley.

“We’ve worked drills where we dive forward because you’re better protecting yourself going forward than you are sideways,” he said. “We’ve got to find ways to continue to teach our quarterbacks not to take those extra shots, but some of the shots they took today, there’s no way around them. There were penalties, and we’ve got to protect our guys a little bit better, but I also think there are some times we shouldn’t slide and maybe going down face-first and diving more than sliding when you’re able to do that would probably be the better thing.”

At 6-3 and 222 pounds, Edwards is no shrinking violet and would prefer to dive forward to gain an extra yard or two. But he also knows there’s a delicate line between being advantageous and being smart.

“I think I’m more of a downhill, aggressive runner, but that will be one I’ve got to learn,” he said. “Just the nature of my position now, I’m hoping to play in 12, 13, 14, 15 games, and I’m not a backup coming in. So I’ve got to do a better job protecting myself. That one stung a little bit, but the biggest thing Coach Locks always talks about is, it’s not a bad thing if we can learn from it. So there’s no doubt in my mind I’ve learned from that one, and I will go about it differently when it comes to sliding.”

A retooled secondary showed promise — and pitfalls

Although the defense returned seven starters, only one — senior safety Dante Trader Jr. — played in the secondary. Cornerbacks Jalen Huskey, a junior transfer from Bowling Green, and Perry Fisher, a redshirt sophomore, and safety Glendon Miller, a redshirt senior, have plenty of experience, but Saturday’s game marked their starting debuts at Maryland.

The defensive backfield had its ups and downs. Miller, redshirt sophomore safety Lavain Scruggs (Archbishop Spalding) and Trader (McDonogh) ranked 1-2-3, respectively, in tackles, and Miller registered the unit’s first interception of the season late in the second quarter.

The secondary was also exposed on a 27-yard touchdown connection between UConn graduate student quarterback Joe Fagnano and redshirt senior wide receiver TJ Sheffield in the third quarter. And the Huskies had chances for significant gains through the air if not for several critical drops by their receivers.

Locksley chalked up the touchdown to “a communication error that we’ve got to get fixed.” He also praised the defensive backs’ play.

“Dante has done a good job of settling things down,” he said. “We’ve got young corners, inexperienced corners. So to have that veteran experience on the back end and then when we put Glendon down as a nickel, that allows us to bring Scruggs in, and Scruggs had a pretty good game from what I’ve seen.”

Fifth-year senior middle linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II expressed his confidence in the secondary.

“They’re already a cohesive group, but they become more and more cohesive as the game goes on and they make more and more plays,” he said. “So it’s just great seeing them gel and bond and seeing them continue to make plays and do great things in the game.”

Big Ten opener

Michigan State at Maryland

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: BTN

Radio: 105.7 FM

He redshirted as a freshman at Wake Forest to begin his career, then transferred to Maryland. What he hoped would be a one-year stint as a backup turned into two seasons on the Terps’ sideline. But when Taulia Tagovailoa’s eligibility finally ran dry, Maryland was still unwilling to fully trust Edwards and brought in more competition.

A summer-long battle for the starting quarterback spot ended with Edwards as the victor. The competition will extend into the season — three quarterbacks played Saturday as the score widened. But for his first time as a Terp, Edwards had no one else in his way.

The redshirt junior led Maryland to a 50-7 win over UConn to open the first season of the post-Tagovailoa era with a dominant victory. Patience like Edwards possesses is rare in college football’s modern landscape, where transfers and name, image and likeness deals are plentiful. He’s finally reaping the rewards from waiting.

“I’ve been here two years, and every game I’ve trained myself like the starter,” the quarterback said. “It was rewarding, but at the same time I feel like I’ve prepared for this.”

Edwards, who found out Sunday the job was his, finished 20-for-27 passing with 311 yards and two touchdowns Saturday. North Carolina State transfer MJ Morris, who was given three drives, was 3-for-4 for 13 yards. Third-stringer Cam Edge also saw time and threw a touchdown pass.

Edwards led a quick scoring drive on Maryland’s first possession, completing all four attempts capped by an 18-yard touchdown strike to Tai Felton to put the Terps up seven. Each of Edwards’ three passes on the next drive were caught before Nolan Ray ran for a 48-yard score.

“This is why I came here,” Edwards said. “This is stuff I’ve dreamed about my whole life.”

The Terps’ offense slowed from there as three second-quarter field goals sent Maryland into halftime leading 23-0.

Edwards returned from the break and reignited the attack. A 17-yard completion to Felton set up a 4-yard rushing score by Roman Hemby that put the Terps ahead by 30. Morris entered and led a drive that ended in a punt, then Edwards and Felton needed just one play to find the end zone again.

Felton, Edwards’ preferred target throughout the afternoon, caught a short pass and eluded UConn tacklers along the home sideline for a 75-yard touchdown. The pair of Virginia natives’ relationship goes back to high school. Saturday, their first time starring together, resulted in Felton posting a career-high 178 receiving yards.

“I was telling him myself how proud I am of him,” Felton said. “Just seeing everything he’s been through, the adversity has been through, to see how hard he worked this whole time. It’s definitely a blessing to have him.”

Against an inferior opponent with more important ones looming, Maryland didn’t ask much of its quarterbacks. Edwards attempted just six passes beyond 15 yards but completed five of them. And he had a sound running game to lean on — the Terps posted their most rushing yards in a first half of coach Mike Locksley’s tenure and finished with 248. Edwards was responsible for 39 of those.

Morris, Edwards’ counterpart in the position battle, was unimpressive in his debut. He entered for the first time on the Terps’ fourth possession and completed both of his attempts in a drive that ended in a punt. He returned after Edwards handed him a four-touchdown lead but failed to score in three chances before exiting after a blow to the head early in the fourth quarter.

Maryland entered with a plan to get Morris a few chances, Locksley said. The NC State transfer, who joined Maryland with three years of eligibility remaining, never capitalized.

Edwards likely had a head start anyway but spent his summer distancing himself further from Morris. The incumbent’s Maryland tenure until now consisted of only injury replacement starts and occasional looks in short-yardage packages. He played 15 games over his first two seasons, tallying 436 passing yards, 227 yards on the ground and 12 total touchdowns.

“It’s so hard in today’s society because of the pressures that some of these kids have on them,” Locksley said. “Everybody wants it now.”

He started the Terps’ Music City Bowl win over Auburn in December after Tagovailoa opted out, giving Maryland its first look at its future at the position. Edwards was pacing the competition then and never relinquished that lead.

That didn’t change Saturday. Edwards starred in his long-awaited debut as Maryland’s full-time starting quarterback. He could have left at any time during the past two seasons but remained confident his turn would eventually come.

Morris is still lurking and waiting for an Edwards slip-up. He hasn’t had one yet.

“It’s his job,” Locksley said. “He’s our quarterback. We’ll ride with him.”

Billy Edwards Jr. shepherded a largely untested offense to more than 600 yards and four touchdowns, and an experienced defense overwhelmed a middling opponent as the Terps waltzed to a 50-7 victory over visiting UConn in the season opener for both schools Saturday afternoon before an announced 35,421 at SECU Stadium.

“Great start to the 2024 season, great liftoff,” said Locksley, who improved to 5-1 in season-opening games. “We talked to our team going into this game about the start and the importance of getting off to a fast start and putting it all together, and I thought we were able to do it today with all three phases contributing to the win.”

Maryland, which reached the 50-point plateau for the first time since a 56-21 throttling at Charlotte on Sept. 10, 2022, did what it was expected to do against a Huskies team that went 3-9 last fall and 9-16 in its first two years under former NFL coach Jim Mora. UConn dropped to 1-3 in its series with the Terps, with that lone win occurring Sept. 15, 2012.

Maryland’s 13th consecutive win against a nonconference opponent in season openers (which trails only Michigan State’s run of 24 straight) got a significant lift from Edwards. Locked into a competition with redshirt sophomores MJ Morris and Cameron Edge in the preseason, the 6-foot-3, 222-pound redshirt junior earned Locksley’s blessing to succeed Tagovailoa, who had started the past four years en route to becoming the Big Ten’s all-time leader in passing yards.

Edwards validated Locksley’s decision by completing 20 of 27 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns and carrying the ball five times for 39 yards. Senior wide receiver Tai Felton proved to be Edwards’ favorite target as he caught seven balls for 178 yards and two touchdowns, including a 4-yard reception that he turned into a 75-yard sprint down the right sideline with two seconds left in the third quarter.

Edwards opted for more short-yardage throws on crossing routes and dump-offs to the flat than passes to test the Huskies’ defensive backfield, but the offense was forced to punt only twice under his direction (once in each half). He said he treated Saturday’s game like a Tuesday practice.

“I’ve made the throws in practice countless of times, and then to come out here, it was just about remaining calm and trusting my feet, trusting my training,” said Edwards, who was the Most Valuable Player of the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 after totaling 176 yards and two touchdowns (one passing and one rushing) in the Terps’ 31-13 rout of Auburn. “I’ve got a lot of good skill players around me and just letting them do their thing.”

Felton’s 75-yard touchdown play — the program’s first since Oct. 30, 2020, when Jeshaun Jones took a pass from Tagovailoa 76 yards to the end zone — ended the day for Edwards, who drew considerable praise from Locksley.

“I really liked the way Billy played,” he said. “I like the control and command he had of our system. A couple balls we’ll talk about and have a chance to get corrected and some fundamental things that will get better, but really pleased with his first outing as our starter.”

The 6-1, 209-pound Morris, a North Carolina State transfer, helmed Maryland for three possessions. But the team punted on the first two, and Morris absorbed a late hit by UConn senior safety Rante Jones that forced him to the sideline with 12:58 left in the fourth quarter. Jones was penalized for targeting the head and neck area and was ejected. Edwards also took a shot to the head from Huskies defensive back Jordan Wright while sliding at the end of a run in the second quarter, leading to Wright being called for targeting and disqualified.

OH MY

No surprise there was a targeting call here pic.twitter.com/P4ev7xQp2E

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 31, 2024

Morris, who completed three of four passes for 13 yards and ran five times for 13 yards, was replaced by the 6-foot, 225-pound Edge, who completed all three of his throws for 49 yards, including a 24-yard swing pass to freshman running back Josiah McLaurin for a touchdown with 9:26 remaining. Edge finished by connecting on four of six passes for 57 yards and the touchdown to McLaurin.

That score was a poignant moment for McLaurin, who lost his father in a car accident a week ago, according to Locksley.

“He stayed here all week, and we loved on him,” he said. “Our team got behind him, and that’s why our team was really excited that he was able to get a touchdown. He’s got to go home tomorrow to bury his dad and get back here. It was great to see him be able to make a play.”

To alleviate pressure on Edwards, the offense leaned on a heavy dose of running the ball. Redshirt junior running back Roman Hemby, an Edgewood native and John Carroll graduate, led the way with 66 yards and one touchdown on 14 attempts, and redshirt freshman Nolan Ray added four carries for 57 yards, including a 48-yard scamper to the end zone that included five missed tackles by UConn defenders and staked Maryland to a 14-0 advantage with less than seven minutes to go in the first quarter.

The offense finished the opening frame with 131 rushing yards — the unit’s highest total since Nov. 17, 2018, when the squad gained 148 yards on the ground in an eventual 52-51 overtime loss to Ohio State. For the game, the Terps averaged 5.4 yards per carry with 248 yards on 46 attempts.

“We have so many playmakers that it’s hard for anybody to stop just one guy or stop everybody,” Felton said. “Our goal is to just make plays. So when it’s my turn to get the ball, I’m trying to make a play. When it’s [senior wide receiver Kaden Prather’s] turn to get the ball, it’s time to make a play. But our goal is to make a play no matter who is getting the ball.”

If the offense was methodical, the defense was stifling. Although the Terps failed to pitch their first shutout since a 37-0 rout of Rutgers on Nov. 26, 2022, they held the Huskies to just 103 yards of offense in the first half and surrendered only 2 of 7 conversions on third down.

Maryland, which returned seven starters from last year’s unit that enjoyed its most productive season since 2010, did not allow UConn to cross midfield until its fifth series of the game, and that possession ended when graduate student kicker Chris Freeman, an Indiana transfer, hooked a 43-yard field goal attempt wide left with less than five minutes left in the second quarter.

After redshirt junior kicker Jack Howes made a 33-yard field goal to give the Terps a 20-0 lead with 43 seconds remaining, redshirt senior safety Glendon Miller intercepted a throw by Huskies sophomore quarterback and Wisconsin transfer Nick Evers. That led to Howes’ third field goal of the first half, this time from 23 yards.

The defense ended a UConn drive that reached the Terps’ 17-yard line with less than six minutes left in the third quarter when fifth-year senior middle linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II intercepted a pass by graduate student quarterback Joe Fagnano, who had replaced Evers earlier in the frame.

Fagnano, a Maine transfer, did connect with redshirt senior wide receiver and Purdue transfer TJ Sheffield for a 27-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left in the third quarter. But the game was already out of hand by that point.

“We just played harder than them and made more plays than them,” Hyppolite said. “We established our dominance more than they did.”

Even special teams got into the act. Sheffield mishandled a punt, and redshirt freshman wide receiver Ricardo Cooper Jr., a Baltimore native and Calvert Hall graduate, pounced on the loose ball at the Huskies’ 19-yard line with 2:41 left in the game. That led to a 9-yard touchdown run by freshman running back DeJuan Williams, a Baltimore native and St. Frances graduate.

Maryland will start the Big Ten portion of its schedule when it welcomes Michigan State (1-0) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Locksley said he is curious to see how the team will build on the victory over the Huskies.

“The biggest jump that we’ll make as a team is typically between Week 1 and Week 2 because now we’ve seen kind of the identity we’re capable of against real people, not just against ourselves,” he said. “I’m excited to get back here on Monday.”

Big Ten opener

Michigan State at Maryland

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: BTN

Radio: 105.7 FM

“This is like Christmas for me — to open up Saturday against UConn and really see who we are,” he said Tuesday during his weekly media availability. “We’ve got to play the game to see who we are and start the chess match of making the moves and adjustments we need to make to keep the program moving forward.”

How long that yuletide cheer will last will likely depend on whether the Terps can improve on last year’s 8-5 record that included a 31-13 win over Auburn in the Music City Bowl — their third bowl victory in as many seasons. College football analysts have predicted a middle-of-the-pack finish for Maryland in the rugged and expanded Big Ten Conference, but that means little to Locksley.

“My I-could-give-a-crap gauge is still on [empty],” he quipped. “It is what it is. At least now, we’re talked about as a middle team. The bottom three is what it’s typically been. Yeah, I could [not] care less.”

Rapper and Washington native Wale thinks the Terps are being underestimated.

“I don’t see them finishing in the middle,” he said. “These kids have got too much heart. If they do what they’ve got to do, we’re going to have a good season.”

Here’s what you need to know for the 2024 Maryland football season:

Who will start at quarterback?

That is the $1 million question after the departure of Taulia Tagovailoa, the Big Ten’s all-time leader in passing yards and the Terps’ undisputed starter for the past three years. The leading candidates to open the season against UConn on Saturday at noon at SECU Stadium are redshirt junior Billy Edwards Jr., the Most Valuable Player of the Music City Bowl, and redshirt sophomore MJ Morris, a transfer from North Carolina State.

Locksley declined Tuesday to reveal the starter’s identity, but Edwards took the first reps on offense that day.

CBS Sports Network college football analyst and former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones said last week that he would lean toward Edwards.

“MJ definitely has upside, but I don’t know if it’s as big,” he said. “And especially knowing whichever one of these quarterbacks it’s going to be, they’re going to have a little bit more on their plates.”

Can an untested offensive line hold up?

Whoever gets the start at quarterback will need some support from a five-man front that lost left tackle Delmar Glaze, left guard Corey Bullock, center Mike Purcell and right tackle Gottlieb Ayedze.

Redshirt junior Kyle Long — who made six starts at right guard, including the last three of the season — returns as the most experienced lineman, but was not part of the first offensive line during Tuesday’s practice. That group consisted of redshirt sophomore left tackle Andre Roye Jr. (St. Frances), redshirt junior left guard Isaac Bunyun, redshirt senior center Josh Kaltenberger, redshirt sophomore right guard Aliou Bah and junior right tackle Alan Herron.

Kaltenberger, Bah and Herron transferred from Purdue, Georgia and Division II Shorter, respectively. Locksley conceded that the front five will need more time to build chemistry.

“We’re going to have some growing pains, but I feel good that we’ve got the right guys in the right places,” he said. “What we’ve got to do now is get the continuity.”

Can the defense lead the way?

With the tumult at quarterback and along the offensive line, the defense appears poised to anchor the team early in the season.

The Terps return seven starters, including five of its front six. Fifth-year senior middle linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, an All-Big Ten third-team selection, and redshirt senior defensive end Quashon Fuller, an honorable-mention choice, headline the group with senior safety Dante Trader Jr. patrolling the defensive backfield.

The unit gave up just 22.5 points per game last fall — its best showing since 2010, when that squad surrendered an average of 22.2. Maryland produced 34 sacks and 17 interceptions for its first 30-15 campaign since 2001 (37-24).

But Trader, a McDonogh graduate, cautioned against talk that the defense was “way ahead” of the offense.

“It’s just we’ve just got more veteran players on the defensive side,” he said. “From our time going up against them, they’ve got a lot of explosive players and a lot of explosive parts on the offense. But I would just say that we’ve been trying to focus on us because there’s a lot of pressure already on the offense as it is now.”

Notable new players

Redshirt sophomore right guard Aliou Bah (Georgia), junior right tackle Alan Herron (Shorter), freshman cornerback Kevyn Humes, junior cornerback Jalen Huskey (Bowling Green), freshman cornerback Brandon Jacob, redshirt senior center Josh Kaltenberger (Purdue), freshman cornerback Braydon Lee, redshirt sophomore kicker Gavin Marshall (Oklahoma), redshirt sophomore punter Bryce McFerson (Notre Dame) and redshirt sophomore quarterback MJ Morris (North Carolina State)

Notable pro departures

Right tackle Gottlieb Ayedze (Philadelphia Eagles), safety Beau Brade (Ravens), left guard Corey Bullock (Ravens), left tackle Delmar Glaze (Las Vegas Raiders), wide receiver Jeshaun Jones (Minnesota Vikings), cornerback Ja’Quan Sheppard (Raiders), cornerback Tarheeb Still (Los Angeles Chargers) and quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

Notable transfers

Sophomore outside linebacker Jaishawn Barham (Michigan), senior cornerback Corey Coley Jr. (North Carolina State), senior tight end Corey Dyches (California), junior cornerback Gavin Gibson (East Carolina), senior linebacker Fa’Najae Gotay (Auburn), redshirt junior running back Antwain Littleton II (Temple) and sophomore tight end Rico Walker (Auburn)

Recruiting

Maryland’s 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 23 nationally by 247Sports. The group of 22 players is headed by three four-star recruits — quarterback Malik Washington of Archbishop Spalding, offensive lineman Jaylen Gilchrist of Salem (Virginia Beach, Virginia) and athlete Messiah Delhomme of Warwick (Newport News, Virginia).

Schedule

There are a few quirks in this year’s schedule besides the addition of four former Pac-12 schools in Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington. Maryland’s home game against Big Ten rival Michigan State on Sept. 7 marks the program’s earliest conference matchup since joining the league in 2014 and earliest since 2011 when that squad opened the season against Atlantic Coast Conference foe Miami on Sept. 5.

Southern California on Oct. 19 will be the first school from the West Coast to visit the Terps since California made a trip to College Park on Sept. 13, 2008, which the hosts won, 35-27. Maryland’s road game against No. 3 Oregon on Nov. 9 will be its first trip to the Pacific time zone since Dec. 30, 2014, when that team lost to Stanford, 31-20, in the Foster Farms Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and its first regular-season appearance on the West Coast since Sept. 5, 2009, when that squad lost to California, 52-13.

Finally, the Terps will not face No. 2 Ohio State and No. 9 Michigan for the first time since 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of a home game against the Buckeyes on Nov. 15 and an away game against the Wolverines on Dec. 5.

Projected starting lineup

Offense

QB: Billy Edwards Jr.

RB: Roman Hemby

WR: Tai Felton, Kaden Prather, Octavian Smith Jr.

TE: Preston Howard

LT: Andre Roye Jr.

LG: Isaac Bunyun

C: Josh Kaltenberger

RG: Aliou Bah

RT: Alan Herron

Defense

DE: Quashon Fuller

NT: Jordan Phillips

DT: Tommy Akingbesote

MLB: Ruben Hyppolite II

OLB: Donnell Brown, Kellan Wyatt

CB: Perry Fisher, Jalen Huskey, Lionell Whitaker

S: Glendon Miller, Dante Trader Jr.

Shortly after cornerback Tarheeb Still informed the coaching staff that he intended to opt out of the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, Hyppolite asked to switch from the No. 11 he had worn for his first three seasons for the No. 4 that Still had donned. Eight months later, Hyppolite acknowledged the suddenness of his request.

“When I actually changed it, a lot of the guys and the staff, they were doing double takes,” he said with a grin. “I just wanted to get right to it. To me, a bowl game is the start of a new season, and I just wanted to pop out with it and get people used to seeing it.”

The rationale behind the switch wasn’t frivolous. In recent years, defensive stars such as cornerback Will Likely, safety Darnell Savage (currently with the Jacksonville Jaguars), linebacker Keandre Jones (Washington Commanders) and Still (Los Angeles Chargers) wore No. 4, and Hyppolite sought to maintain that legacy.

“It’s a great history with this number,” he said. “A lot of great guys have worn this number, specifically on defense. So I just wanted to be a part of that group.”

By some accounts, the 6-foot, 232-pound Hyppolite has already extended that tradition. Last season, he totaled a career-high 66 tackles and was recognized as a third-team All-Big Ten linebacker, joining Still as the only Terps defensive players who earned a spot on either the first, second or third teams.

Perhaps the scary part for opposing offenses is that Hyppolite, a fifth-year senior, is continuing to improve, according to defensive coordinator Brian Williams.

“He’s seeing things a lot better, and he knows how and when to utilize his speed,” he said. “He’s gotten stronger in the weight room, so he’s playing with more power. It’s like a cheat code to have him right now for us. So we’re very fortunate.”

Hyppolite’s return to Maryland wasn’t set in stone. He graduated in May with a bachelor’s in communications and could have entered the NFL draft, but chose to spend another year refining his skills.

“I’m not in a rush to get to the next level,” he said. “Timing is everything, and I just feel like being developed is one of the most precious things that can happen to a football player or athlete in general. The NFL is a very elite league, and I want to be the most prepared going into it. However long it takes, I’m not worried, and I’m not rushing. When the time comes, I’ll be ready to go and play at a high level.”

That self-awareness is one of the reasons Hyppolite is sometimes called “Dad” by his teammates. Senior safety Dante Trader Jr. said Hyppolite carries himself like a father seeking what is best for the entire team — even if that means some constructive criticism.

“A lot of people don’t like to invest in people who are going to waste your time, but Ruben doesn’t care,” said Trader, a McDonogh graduate. “He knows that if it’s for a higher purpose, whether you’re listening or not, he’s going to say it. He’s always going to do the right thing regardless of how that person receives it. He’s always going to hold kids accountable.”

Hyppolite credited his ability to communicate with his teammates to growing up in Florida in a house with his younger sister Nicolyn, his mother Laquinta and his grandmother. But he said he is mindful of crossing boundaries when he counsels teammates.

“I’m not a coach,” he emphasized. “But I feel like I know my guys, and I know how to talk to them. I can’t talk to Dante the way I talk to [redshirt senior safety] Glendon [Miller], for example. So I know how to weave in and out and circulate through the madness, through the tension. It’s all about knowing my guys, and I really take pride in doing that. … I just know my guys and what makes them go.”

Hyppolite has been a model for younger linebackers such as junior Caleb Wheatland.

“I’ve learned how to control your emotions better, how to be able to lead by example, how you don’t always have to be vocal,” he said. “And just how to be an overall good teammate that everyone can lean on.”

Hyppolite acknowledged that the season is an opportunity for him to build on last year’s numbers and shatter any doubts among NFL scouts.

“I feel like I’m one of a kind at this position,” he said. “I might not have the size that people drool over, but I think I have the speed that not a lot of backers have in college football. I think my ability to dissect plays and my ability to go make a play is second to none. I think I can compete with the best of them.”

With seven starters returning on defense, Terps coach Mike Locksley said the team might have to lean on that unit in the early stages of the season, especially as the coaches try to figure out who will succeed former quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the Big Ten’s all-time leader in passing yards.

The defense has plenty of standouts in Trader, redshirt senior defensive end Quashon Fuller and senior defensive end Donnell Brown. But Hyppolite understands his contributions to that side of the ball.

“I have to be a sparkplug,” he said. “I have to set the standard and set the tempo. If you come to a game and you see that the energy is not good on the defense, that’s on me. I have to be the one to set it. That’s just how it is. It’s no pressure. It’s what I signed up for. It’s about getting everybody lined up, it’s about alerting people what’s coming especially on the back end, and I’ve got to do it all in under two seconds. Yeah, there’s a lot on my plate, but I’m trying to eat right, and there’s a lot of good food out there for me to eat.”

Season opener

UConn at Maryland

Saturday, noon

TV: FS1

Radio: 105.7 FM