Maryland football has a top-tier trio of inside linebackers

With Maryland football’s season opener, we now turn our attention to focus on its linebacker corps. Make sure to read our previous analyses on the Terps in the quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line and defensive line rooms.

Maryland’s situation at off-ball linebacker appears far more secure than it did at the start of 2025 when none of the room’s starters had experienced time in a starting role. While only one starter returns, the volume and quality of playing time up and down the depth chart puts the Terps in a much better position in the box heading into this season.

Among the departing linebackers are Keyshawn Flowers and Michael Harris, who both transferred out of the program following Maryland’s extensive offseason recruiting efforts. While Harris — whose role was significantly limited after a strong junior season in 2024 — returned to his home state to play for USF, Flowers has yet to find a landing spot after entering the portal in June.

With a variety of skills, archetypes and athletic backgrounds to choose from, second-year inside linebackers coach Zac Spavital looks to take advantage of one of the more talented units in the Big Ten. However, he will also need to navigate a lineup of several new talents and weather fierce competition for snaps.

Maryland’s 2026 linebacker depth chart

Experience in the box

The returning performers in Maryland’s lineback room combined for 23 starts in 2025 compared to the single start logged by the unit’s returners the season prior. Those starts proved extremely productive for Daniel Wingate, Carlton Smith and Trey Reddick, who each logged over 50 tackles and appeared in tandem in all but one game last season.

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Wingate enters 2026 as one of the premier linebacker talents in the Big Ten, and it’s easy to come to that conclusion just by looking at him. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound athlete stands taller than every other inside linebacker the Terps have by at least an inch. He wore the green dot for all 12 games last season and made his presence known on every play, becoming the first Maryland player to eclipse 100 tackles since Tre Watson during his All-American season in 2018.

Despite logging just one start during his true freshman season, Smith enters this year with enormous potential for increased reps after securing 41 solo tackles in 2025. While he struggled in coverage scenarios, Smith was a mainstay for the Terps in the open field and earned a PFF grade of 76 for run defense and 81.5 for overall tackling. He may be a large support system up the gut for a defensive tackle unit that got shelled last year during Big Ten play.

Reddick, however, should perfectly complement Smith on the weak side after he performed well in coverage and provided crucial pressure in passing situations through his sophomore year. Reddick contributed 5.5 tackles for loss in 2025 and was a force to be reckoned with on short out routes all season long. If he can restrain himself from overly aggressive tackles that resulted in multiple ejections last season, the junior could provide the spark Maryland needs in the WILL slot.

Unconventional newcomers

Spavital brought in a trio of very intriguing recruits during the offseason, each one finding a stranger route to College Park than the last. After bringing in just a pair of three-star freshmen last year – with only one of them getting meaningful playing time – the Terps opted to shoot for high-upside transfers and prestigious high school talents to bolster defensive depth.

Kaden Carter marks the lone high school recruit brought into Maryland’s linebacker room, likely due to a depth chart that is more than saturated near the top. Carter, however, may wiggle his way onto the field due to the high prestige that comes along with him – he is the third-highest ranked linebacker recruit in team history. His experience running track in high school should help him adjust well into either a weak or strongside backup role.

Stephen Dean III elected to join the Terps for his final year of eligibility after an incredibly successful season at the Virginia Military Institute. The mike linebacker logged a monstrous 117 tackles last season, a mark good enough to place him 13th in the nation, while providing excellent assistance in both rushing and passing scenarios.

One of the most unusual routes any newcomer found their way to Maryland is that of Jordan Williams. The former Rice guard was originally recruited by Maryland men’s basketball head coach Buzz Williams, but will now return to a sport he hasn’t played since high school after finding limited success on the hardwood. His snaps will likely be few and far between.

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Potential depth members

With immense talent across the depth chart, many highly-touted players will have to battle it out for platoon spots or any reps they can get their hands on. Travares Daniels II and Darius Grimes squarely fit into this category after the lineman-linebacker hybrid Grimes took most of his snaps on special teams while Daniels played just six snaps and looks to prove his value in his second year at Maryland.

Keyari James looked promising after a solid freshman season in 2024, but missed the entirety of the following season due to injury and may carve out a decent chunk of reps in reserve roles. Chris Wells and Kellen McConnell also look to achieve their first on-field action as Terps with their remaining eligibility beginning to run out.