Maryland's offseason had one clear organizing principle: don't lose Malik Washington. Keeping the quarterback in College Park was the single biggest outcome of the winter, and everything else builds outward from that fact. The passing game gets reinforcements too, with Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding arriving from Old Dominion after posting 46.4 PPA and Chris Durr Jr. joining from Wyoming, giving Washington a retooled group of targets even as the receiving corps saw turnover with Jahmari Powell-Wonson departing for FAU. The bigger question is what happens on the ground, where Terrez Worthy comes over from Temple to help a running game that needs an identity beyond its quarterback. Defensively, the picture is steadier. That side of the ball shows stable continuity with no major role-loss flags, and the addition of transfer defensive tackle Lavon Johnson from Texas should only reinforce a unit that already grades as above average. The offense projects as roughly average, special teams lags behind, and the overall profile settles in the middle of the conference — a team defined less by strength imbalance and more by whether the pieces around Washington catch up to him.

JP+ pegs Maryland at 6.0 projected wins, a number shaped as much by schedule as by pure ability. Road trips to Ohio State, USC, and Nebraska sit at the top of the difficulty list, while home dates with Rutgers and Hampton, plus a trip to UConn, offer the clearest paths to bankable wins. The gap between that projection and any market expectation likely comes down to the run game and receiver continuity — targets return at just 40%, and offensive line continuity sits at 69%, workable but not overwhelming. If Worthy and the line give Washington a real complement on the ground and the defense holds its stable form, Maryland pushes comfortably past the 6.0 mark. If the running game stays thin and special teams keeps costing field position, the Terps hover right around it, leaning on Washington's arm to survive.