Nearly 2,700 Division I football players entered the transfer portal in its initial cycle this winter. Inevitably, many more will enter during the spring window, which opens April 16.
For Maryland, which breathes the sentiment of being a “developmental program,” navigating the current climate of the sport provides an immense challenge.
“We’re gonna lose, I used to say 20 to 30 percent of our roster, but the way the landscape has shown me is I’ve got a new team every year,” head coach Mike Locksley said. “Every meeting we have with our team is a recruiting meeting, because you’re recruiting every player in our program every single day.”
Despite that, Locksley has constantly reiterated during his five years at the helm that the key to success is building his program through high school recruiting.
Maryland has had 14 players drafted by NFL teams since Locksley took over, all but four of which signed with the program out of high school. That number will increase in short time, with multiple Terps expected to be selected this year.
But nowadays, building a roster requires weighing the reality of the modern landscape of college football. That involves making moves in the always-busy transfer portal, which provides a challenge for Locksley and his staff.
As spring practice kicked off this year, Locksley spoke to the understanding that constructing a winning program has become more and more difficult — and will require change.
“I’ve learned to understand that we’re gonna lose players to the portal. Some we want to lose, some we don’t,” he said.
In November 2023, Maryland hired Merci Falaise as its general manager for player personnel, a position common in today’s era of immense roster turnover.
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