Expectations are high

Five storylines for Baltimore college football fans to watch heading into 2023 season

After another long offseason filled with coaching changes, transfers and conference realignment, hope springs eternal in college football.

For fans in Baltimore, there is no shortage of intrigue. Here are five storylines to watch heading into the first full opening weekend:

Can Maryland actually compete for a Big Ten title?

Make no mistake, Terps coach Mike Locksley has high expectations heading into his fifth season.

“Our program is at a point finally where we can say we’re here to compete for Big Ten championships,” Locksley said in July at Big Ten media days in Indianapolis. “You haven’t heard me say that in the previous four times I’ve been in front of you guys, but I think now is the time.”

It’s a bold statement considering the Terps’ history in the Big Ten. Since joining the league from the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014, Maryland is 23-52 against conference opponents, including a combined 3-22 against Big Ten East division rivals Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. The Terps have lost 31 straight games against Big Ten opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

But there are reasons for optimism. Record-setting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa returns for a fourth season, while the defense, led by linebacker Jaishawn Barham (St. Frances), projects to be 27th in the country according to ESPN’s SP+, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of efficiency. Gone are talented wide receivers Rakim Jarrett, Dontay Demus Jr. and Jacob Copeland, but leading receivers Jeshaun Jones and Corey Dyches return, as does leading rusher Roman Hemby.

Maryland had five players picked in April’s NFL draft, their most since the draft went to seven rounds in 1997. That group, including first-round selection Deonte Banks, served as the foundation of what Locksley hopes to build in College Park. This season will test his ability to reload the roster for sustained success, starting Saturday against Towson.

Which players should Ravens fans be scouting?

It’s hard to predict so far in advance, but cornerback, defensive line and offensive line appear to be the Ravens’ biggest areas of need entering the 2024 season.

In his first 2024 mock draft, ESPN analyst Jordan Reid had the Ravens taking Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe at No. 24 overall. With Baltimore facing some uncertainty on the interior of the offensive line, Reid has the team opting for a “physical interior blocker who embodies every trait the Ravens have gravitated toward in the past.”

Other names to watch include Miami defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III, a former five-star prospect who had 10 ½ tackles for loss and three sacks as a sophomore; Florida cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., another former five-star talent who started 13 games in 2022; Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, a 6-foot-4, 362-pound All-Big 12 honorable mention entering his fifth season; and Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke, a former freshman All-American who has started 24 games over the past two seasons.

Of course, wide receivers will always draw attention in Baltimore. Washington’s Rome Odunze, Texas’ Xavier Worthy and Florida State’s Johnny Wilson are among the potential first-round pass catchers who could land in the Ravens’ range in April.

Who are the Maryland natives to watch?

Southern California quarterback Caleb

Williams, a former star at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, is the favorite to repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner. But his path could be blocked by a fellow DMV native.

Michigan running back Blake Corum, a former St. Frances star, returns after injuring his left knee near the end of last season. Despite missing most of three games and splitting carries in a talented backfield, Corum still ran for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns while finishing seventh in Heisman voting. Imagine what he could do when fully healthy.

“A couple weeks ago, that’s when I realized that most of my speed was coming back,” Corum said in late July. “And then I started feeling the burst. There was definitely a point in time where I was like, ‘OK, I like where this is heading.’ ”

There are plenty of other talented Maryland natives to keep an eye on in the Power Five, including:

„ Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart (Baltimore/Good Counsel)

„ Michigan defensive lineman Derrick Moore (St. Frances)

„ Penn State defensive ends Dani DennisSutton (McDonogh) and Chop Robinson (Maryland transfer via Quince Orchard) and linebacker Curtis Jacobs (McDonogh)

„ Tennessee wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. (Mount Saint Joseph)

„ Alabama offensive lineman Darrian Dalcourt (St. Frances) and linebacker Chris Braswell (St. Frances)

„ Nebraska linebacker MJ Sherman (Baltimore/St. John’s College)

„ Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (St. Frances)

How quickly can Biff Poggi turn around Charlotte?

Poggi, the former coach at Gilman and St. Frances, isn’t trying to take things slow at the nascent program.

Despite the 49ers winning just three games last season, ESPN will be making a documentary about the team, thanks in large part to Poggi’s outsized personality. In a recent interview with The Charlotte Observer, Poggi said he envisioned having a 50,000-seat football stadium built within the next five years. He also believes Charlotte will win the 14-team American Athletic Conference, often referred to as the best of the so-called Group of Five, in his first season.

“I think we’re going to win the league,” Poggi said. “That’s why we’re here. The only thing that will stop us from winning the league, in my opinion, is if I screw it up. So if we don’t win, I screwed it up. We have scoreboards on campus. Sports is like business, you keep score. And so if scores aren’t good, you change the CEO, and I’m the CEO and I shouldn’t be here if we’re not successful.”

How can a program that’s had one winning season in eight years at the Football Bowl Subdivision level do that? Well, Poggi brought in 52 transfers, many of whom are from Power Five schools. That includes defensive end Eyabi Okie-Anoma, a former St. Frances star who spent time at Alabama, UT-Martin and Michigan, and linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, another former Panthers standout who transferred from Michigan, where Poggi served as an assistant under Jim Harbaugh for two seasons. Quarterback Jalon Jones, a former four-star prospect who played for Poggi at St. Frances, also arrived after starting for Bethune-Cookman last season.

Poggi, 64, was the most successful high school football coach in Baltimore for more than two decades, using his personal fortune to build a St. Frances program that left the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association to play a national schedule. Turning a losing college program into a title contender might be his most ambitious project yet.

The 49ers open the season Saturday hosting South Carolina State before a prime-time matchup against Maryland on Sept. 9 in College Park.

Will Navy, Morgan State and Towson make a leap under new leadership?

Call it a new era for many of the state’s FBS programs.

Former defensive coordinator Brian Newberry takes over at Navy after the departure of longtime coach Ken Niumatalolo, who spent 15 seasons in Annapolis. By adding wrinkles to the triple-option offense and leaning on nine returning starters on defense, there’s hope for a bounceback season for the Midshipmen in what should be a competitive conference. Despite a blowout loss to No. 13 Notre Dame in the season opener in Dublin, fans remain optimistic about the Newberry era.

After moving on from longtime coach Rob Ambrose, Towson brought in Pete Shinnick, who won a Division II national championship in 2019 as part of a successful tenure at West Florida. Shinnick, the son of a former Baltimore Colts linebacker, is winning over boosters, alumni and players with his personal touch and plans on playing a more up-tempo, “Air Raid” style offense as he seeks to return the program to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 2018. Towson was picked to finish ninth in a poll of head coaches in the Colonial Athletic Association, which expanded to 15 teams this season with the addition of Campbell and North Carolina A&T.

The Tigers will also meet Morgan State on Sept. 16 in “The Battle for Greater Baltimore,” which should be a crucial measuring stick for both programs. The Bears are coming off a 4-7 debut season under former Bowie State coach Damon Wilson, but expectations are much higher entering 2023. The return of eight starters on what was the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s best defense in 2022 and familiarity with the coaching staff has Morgan State confident it can finish with its first winning record since 2014 and earn a berth in the Celebration Bowl.

Extra points

Johns Hopkins earned the top spot in the Division III Centennial Conference preseason poll. The Blue Jays went 10-1 and finished second in the league last season with their only loss coming to undefeated Susquehanna, which is now in the Landmark Conference. Junior Bay Harvey is looking to become the 12th straight Hopkins quarterback to win his first career start, a streak that began during the 2006 season. Senior defensive lineman Luke Schuermann returns after setting school single-season records for tackles for loss (26 ½) and sacks (14) last season.

Bowie State was picked to finish second in the D-II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association preseason poll. It will be the first full season for coach Kyle Jackson, a Baltimore native and former Bulldogs linebacker who led his alma mater to a 6-4 record as the interim in 2022. After the departure of Dion Golatt Jr., former Calvert Hall quarterback Amir Jenkins, a sophomore transfer from Sacred Heart, will get the chance to start. Leading receiver Keshane Hinckley (Howard CC) returns, as does graduate student Uvel Paul Jr. (Meade), who led the CIAA with 8 sacks last season.

Frostburg State will see its former standout offensive tackle Gottlieb Ayedze suit up for the Terps this season, but second-year coach Eric Wagoner is optimistic coming off a strong 8-3 debut season. The Bobcats, who were picked to finish second behind Notre Dame College in the Mountain East Conference preseason poll, have returning standouts in kicker-punter Dayne Koontz (Manchester Valley), junior quarterback Graham Walker, running back Sean Aaron, safety Wylan Harich, defensive end Yasir Holmes and linebacker Colby Street.